The effects of professional development on science teaching practices and classroom culture

Abstract

The current science education reform movement emphasizes the importance of professional development as a means of improving student science achievement. Reformers have developed a vision for professional development based upon intensive and sustained training around concrete tasks that is focused on subject‐matter knowledge, connected to specific standards for student performance, and embedded in a systemic context. Using data from a National Science Foundation Teacher Enhancement program called the Local Systemic Change initiative, this study employs hierarchical linear modeling to examine the relationship between professional development and the reformers' vision of teaching practice. The findings indicate that the quantity of professional development in which teachers participate is strongly linked with both inquiry‐based teaching practice and investigative classroom culture. At the individual level, teachers' content preparation also has a powerful influence on teaching practice and classroom culture. At the school level, school socioeconomic status was found to influence practice more substantially than either principal supportiveness or available resources. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 963–980, 2000

Taking a Leap of Faith: Redefining Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Through Project-Based Learning

“…Supovitz and Turner's (2000) findings indicate that content preparation has a powerful influence on teaching practices and classroom culture. Higher education faculty members bring a strong content orientation that has been shaped by common pedagogical and assessment practices in their particular disciplines, as well as discipline-specific definitions of 'expertise. '…”

Is alignment enough? Investigating the effects of state policies and professional development on science curriculum implementation

“…Providing time for teachers to meet also increases the likelihood that they will have opportunities to learn from and share expertise with colleagues about instruction (Kruse, 2001). Shared planning time can positively influence teachers' perception of the school (Warren & Muth, 1995) and has been linked to classroom implementation of reforms (Supovitz & Turner, 2000;Uekawa, Aladjem, & Zhang, 2006).…”

Beyond Beliefs: Teachers Adapting Problem-based Learning to Preexisting Systems of Practice

“…Researchers have posited teacher beliefs towards reform-based learning environments influence teaching practices and beliefs play a critical role with influencing alignment of practice to constructivist learning environments Luft 2001). Similarly, teachers use reform-based practices and an investigatory classroom culture if they are more sympathetic towards reform (Supovitz & Turner, 2000). Despite all four participants in this study having beliefs supportive of constructivist learning environments, not all of the teachers aligned as high in practice to constructivist principles when teaching a PBL unit.…”

“…However, changing beliefs is difficult (Pajares, 1992) and is unlikely to occur due to a professional development workshop. Similarly, Supovitz and Turner (2000) posit that teacher attitudes towards reform influence teaching practices. They found that teachers more sympathetic towards reform more frequently use inquiry-based practices and maintain a more investigatory classroom culture.…”

“…Thus, teachers with a constructivist learning belief system would more likely practice PBL instruction that is congruent with constructivism (Supovitz & Turner, 2000). Constructivism aligns well with PBL as it places emphasis on the learner's ownership of ideas and a personal interpretation of knowledge.…”