Understanding Teacher Self-Efficacy for Teaching Inquiry-Based Science in the Elementary Grades

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: Science Teaching and Learning: Science Teacher Education

Abstract

The Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation (LANLF) developed the ongoing Northern New Mexico (NNM) Inquiry Science Education Consortium Project (ISEC) to improve academic performance of high-need minority students in grades K-6. As part of the longstanding (eight year) collaborative partnership between the LANLF and the evaluation team; formative research is used to guide program improvement leading to increased student science achievement. A new program (ISEC 2.0) implemented over the last two years (2016-2018) provides more intensive PD to a subset of ISEC teachers, and a measure of self-efficacy was introduced. This paper examines the role of teacher self-efficacy for teaching inquiry science in both the original (ISEC) and more intensive (ISEC 2.0) PD programs.

Authors

• Emily A. Diaz, Westat

• Eric L. Rolfhus, Westat

• Kersti Tyson, LANL Foundation

• Doris Rivera, LANL Foundation