Sustaining Reform-Based Science Teaching of Preservice and Inservice Elementary School Teachers

Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

8-1-2013

Abstract

This study examined the influence of a professional development program based around commercially available inquiry science curricula on the teaching practices of 27 beginning elementary school teachers and their teacher mentors over a 2 year period. A quantitative rubric used to score inquiry elements and use of data in videotaped lessons indicated that education students assigned to inquiry-based classrooms during their methods course or student teaching year outperformed students without this experience. There was also a significant positive effect of multi-year access to the kit-based program on mentor teaching practice. Recent inclusion of a "writing in science" program in both preservice and inservice training has been used to address the lesson element that received lowest scores-evaluation of data and its use in scientific explanation. © 2012 The Association for Science Teacher Education, USA.

Publication Title, e.g., Journal

Journal of Science Teacher Education

Volume

24

Issue

5

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