Elementary Teachers' Enactment of the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices

This paper reports findings from a two-year investigation on the impact of a professional development (PD) program on second grade teachers' science teaching practice, particularly of the Next Generation Science Standards Science and Engineering Practices (NGSS SEPs). The aims of this study wer...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of science teacher education Vol. 30; no. 7; pp. 788 - 814
Main Authors Kang, Emily J.S., McCarthy, Mary Jean, Donovan, Corinne
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 03.10.2019
Subjects
Elementary School Science
Elementary School Students
Elementary School Teachers
elementary teachers
Engineering Education
Faculty Development
Grade 2
Instructional Effectiveness
Learner Engagement
Next Generation Science Standards
Observation
professional development
Science and Engineering Practices
Science Instruction
Self Efficacy
Teaching Methods
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:This paper reports findings from a two-year investigation on the impact of a professional development (PD) program on second grade teachers' science teaching practice, particularly of the Next Generation Science Standards Science and Engineering Practices (NGSS SEPs). The aims of this study were three-fold: 1) identify which SEPs teachers enacted during classroom instruction at the start and end of the PD; 2) explore the ways in which the SEPs were enacted; and 3) explore trends in self-efficacy and confidence of teaching the NGSS SEPs at mid and end points of the PD compared to the start of the program. Analysis of classroom observations revealed that, at time 2 (end of PD), teachers tended to incorporate more of the practices into instruction, with the greatest increase experienced by SEP 7 Engaging in Argumentation. Students also played a more active role in enacting each practice. Classroom observations revealed that, at both time 1 and time 2, teachers successfully utilized both general and SEP-specific scaffolds to support student enactment. Moreover, rather than teaching each practice in isolation, teachers integrated practices together to reach their lesson objective. While students were able to successfully enact most of the practices, they tended to struggle with specific aspects of argumentation and explanation. Finally, teachers experienced significant growth in self-efficacy and confidence of teaching the SEPs as well as in actual classroom practice.
ISSN:1046-560X
1573-1847
DOI:10.1080/1046560X.2019.1630794