Catalysts and impediments to change in science teachers' beliefs and practices.

As teachers attempt new pedagogies that emphasize transformation, rather than transmission, answers to the question of how changes in beliefs and practice are related affect the design of professional development efforts. Two debates exist in the literature: do beliefs or practice change first and what is the extent of the belief-practice congruency? Previous studies were often of restricted scope--exploring change over a short time of a semester or less and based on limited data including a few observations and/or interviews. In contrast, this study examined middle school teachers involved in a professional development effort over two years as they learned a new model of pedagogy, project-based science. Case studies of three science teachers were developed from extensive classroom observations and interviews. Based on lesson videotapes and interview responses, teachers' beliefs and practices with respect to learning, classroom roles, and the nature of science were characterized on a transmission-to-transformation continuum. Findings reflect the fact that beliefs exist in systems, vary in their centrality or importance, and can serve as a filter on reality. First, the cases indicate that beliefs and practice are intertwined such that neither changes first consistently; instead given time beliefs and practice converge. Second, while each teacher modified her beliefs about the nature of learning, none changed beliefs about the nature of science perhaps because of a paucity of prior science experiences, their lack of centrality in the belief system, and the lack of focus on the nature of science in this program. Third, beliefs about learning changed in concert in each teacher's belief system toward being more transformation oriented. This reflected the systemic nature of beliefs, especially the interdependence of beliefs about teacher and student roles and how learning occurs. Fourth, beliefs about their own roles were pivotal in the change process and were modified substantially by each teacher. Finally, teachers' beliefs can color their perceptions of their practice. For instance, teachers may believe their practice is compatible with what they think is important, sometimes leading to inaccurate assessments of practice.Ph.D.EducationEducational administrationScience educationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/130546/2/9732145.pd