The article reports on a large scale research study funded by the National Science Foundation in which elementary teachers’ motivational beliefs about teaching science were found to be related to their level of engagement in an extensive professional development program. In addition, teachers with more confidence about teaching science tended to have students with higher science test scores.
Lumpe, A. T., Czerniak, C. M., Haney, J. J., & Beltyukova, S. (accepted for publication). Beliefs about Teaching Science: The Relationship between Elementary Teachers’ Professional Development and Student Achievement. International Journal of Science Education.
PDF copy of article Beliefs about Teaching Science IJSE
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Dear Dr. Lumpe,
The article on professional development really struck home with me because it is a research-based document that supports an idea I have had for a while but haven’t researched at any length. Teachers teach best what they want to teach and feel comfortable teaching. In another district’s high school, there was a push make major restructuring to how teachers were teaching. They did not want a couple of changes that teachers did every day but massive changes. So many teachers were against it, mostly because of how the changes were presented. However, there was a push to get teachers into different math courses, even when the teacher did not want to teach those courses. I pushed for teachers to teach within their comfort zone but to change some instructional strategies and increase formative assessments. Luckily for me and my anecdotal evidence, some administrators liked that idea better. It did work better for the students as well.
In science and math in elementary, many teachers do not seem comfortable. They do not have the choice to “not” teach a subject but science (and math until recently) are subjects that get dropped. This year, my 5th grader is supposed to take the science MSP. I think she has had a total of 6 hours of science from the first day of school until today. I am busy trying to find a resource for 5th grade science so I can teach it to her before her test. Teachers perceptions about subject-matter do permeate into the students. It took more than 7 years for my niece to really believe that she could do math and that math was useful after her first grade teacher announced to the class that the only useful math was adding and subtracting. That first grade teacher was a first class literacy teacher but the damage with regard to math was huge.
If it is alright with you, I will forward your article to the district office. My principal and my academy (BioMed) will also enjoy it. Thanks. Jennifer McReynolds