Shifting Elementary Teachers' Perceptions About Science Teaching Using Modest Professional Learning Supports

• In Event: Communities, Collaborations, and Contexts of Science Teaching

Abstract

This three-year longitudinal study included 37 K-6 teachers who previously completed one of four science-focused PD programs in rural California. These programs varied on their specific focus, but they all met their goal of preparing teachers to implement inquiry-based science strategies and improve their self-efficacy for teaching science. The specific goal of this study was to examine changes in self-efficacy after the original professional development ended, and investigate whether a new intervention of modest teacher supports sustained improved self-efficacy over time. These modest supports included short, in-person sessions; electronic supports, and funds for purchasing science materials. Results indicate that these modest supports significantly improved teachers’ self-efficacy ratings, reversing the initial decline observed during a period without modest intervention supports.

Authors

• Jessica Triant, WestEd

• Cathy Ringstaff, WestEd

• Judith H. Sandholtz, University of California - Irvine

• Bryan Matlen, WestEd