The effects of professional development on science teaching practices and classroom culture

TLDR

The current science education reform movement emphasizes professional development to improve student science achievement, envisioning intensive, sustained, task‑focused training linked to standards and systemic context. Using data from the NSF Teacher Enhancement Local Systemic Change initiative, this study examines how professional development relates to the reformers' vision of teaching practice. Hierarchical linear modeling was applied to the Local Systemic Change data to assess the link between professional development and teaching practice. Results show that greater professional development participation is strongly associated with inquiry‑based teaching and investigative classroom culture; teachers’ content preparation also strongly influences practice and culture, and at the school level socioeconomic status has a greater impact than principal support or resources. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc., J Res Sci Teach 37:963–980.

Abstract

The current science education reform movement emphasizes the importance of professional development as a means of improving student science achievement. Reformers have developed a vision for professional development based upon intensive and sustained training around concrete tasks that is focused on subject-matter knowledge, connected to specific standards for student performance, and embedded in a systemic context. Using data from a National Science Foundation Teacher Enhancement program called the Local Systemic Change initiative, this study employs hierarchical linear modeling to examine the relationship between professional development and the reformers' vision of teaching practice. The findings indicate that the quantity of professional development in which teachers participate is strongly linked with both inquiry-based teaching practice and investigative classroom culture. At the individual level, teachers' content preparation also has a powerful influence on teaching practice and classroom culture. At the school level, school socioeconomic status was found to influence practice more substantially than either principal supportiveness or available resources. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 963–980, 2000