Examining features of how professional development and enactment of educative curricula influences elementary science teacher learning

This research examines factors influencing elementary science teacher learning as they participate in professional development with and enactment of educative curricula in comparison with learning following limited professional development and enactment of traditional curricula. Using a randomized cluster design (125 teachers and 2,694 students in 4th—5th grades) that met the What Works Clearinghouse standards without reservations, teacher learning was conceptualized using four outcomes. Data were analyzed using standard single-level multiple regression models and possible mediation models for the teacher outcomes were considered using piecewise multiple regression and path analytic approaches. Treatment group teachers experienced greater increases in content knowledge, views of science inquiry, beliefs about reform-based teaching, and teaching self-efficacy than comparison group teachers. The findings indicate that what teachers learn from the combination of professional development and teaching with educative curriculum varies according to what their knowledge and beliefs are on entering the experience. Surprisingly, high entry-level self-efficacy was associated not only with lower learning gains for the teachers, but also for their students. Finally, teachers' space science learning and that of their students are implicated as mediators of the positive effect of the professional development and educative curriculum enactment on teacher beliefs about reform science teaching. This work refines and extends a theoretical framework of teachers' participatory relationship with curricula. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, Youngstown State University Florida Water Resources Research Center, University of Florida U.S. Department of Energy: 371 -96700 – 8SS01, 371-96700-9SF01, 371 – 96700-7SF01We are deeply indebted to Dr. Richard Tate for help with the statistical analyses in this article; to Fran-cesca Gerbino and Katrina Dial for their assistance with data management; we wish to acknowledge the significant contributions of Tracie Ragland to the project. Finally, the project is indebted to the teachers who agreed to constrain their teaching to the assigned methodology and curriculum to further knowledge about their profession. This research was supported by a grant from the Florida Center for Research in STEM education, (FL DOE # 371 – 96700-7SF01, 371 -96700 – 8SS01, 371-96700-9SF01)