Current reform efforts in science education focus on creating environments where students grapple with and negotiate their own understandings and mechanistic explanations of scientific phenomena by using their knowledge of disciplinary content and science practices. In order to support this reformed vision, effective professional development (PD;) for science teachers is critical. If PD is to shape teachers’ practice, teachers must experience a change in attitudes and beliefs. The research presented here explores the epistemic orientation of two secondary science teacher cohorts who were supported in a longitudinal professional development study. The epistemic orientation toward teaching science survey was administered at three time points for each cohort and paired sample t-tests were performed to analyze composite and dimensional scores. Our analysis revealed that change in epistemic orientation occurred for teachers who engaged in two years of supportive PD, but that one year of support was not sufficient to engender change in epistemic orientations. These findings further support the need for continuous, high-quality, longitudinal PD when the goal is a shift in science teachers’ epistemological beliefs and teaching practices.
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Exploring the personal/external domains: Investigating changes in epistemic orientations during sustained collaborative professional learning
Current reform efforts in science education focus on creating environments where students
grapple with and negotiate their own understandings and mechanistic explanations of scientific phenomena by using their knowledge of disciplinary content and science practices. In order to support this reformed vision, effective professional development (PD) for science teachers is critical. If PD is to shape teachers’ practice, teachers must experience a change in attitudes and beliefs. The research presented here explores the epistemic orientation of three secondary science teacher cohorts who were supported in different iterations in a larger professional development study. The epistemic orientation toward teaching science survey was administered at three time points for each cohort and paired sample t-tests were performed to analyze composite and dimensional scores. Our analysis revealed that change in epistemic orientation occurred for teachers who engaged in two years of supportive PD, but that one year of support was not sufficient to engender change in epistemic orientations. These findings further support the need for continuous, high-quality, longitudinal PD when the goal is a shift in science teachers’ epistemological beliefs and teaching practices.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1720587
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10422108
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- National Association for Research in Science Teaching Annual Meeting 2023
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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As part of a larger effort to understand the impact of professional development (PD) on teachers’ thinking and practices, this research explores changes in epistemic orientation (and associated practices) of two cohorts of secondary science teachers as they were involved in a longitudinal PD. To measure epistemic orientation, Epistemic Orientation toward Teaching Science surveys were administered at three-time points and teachers’ classrooms were observed. Findings suggest that change in epistemic orientation occurred for teachers who engaged in two years of PD, but that one year was not sufficient to engender such changes in epistemic orientation or instructional practice. These findings speak to the need for continuous, highquality, longitudinal PD.more » « less
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