Who are the Science Teachers that Seek Professiona

Authors: Yavuz Saka

Publish Date: 2013/02/13

Volume: 22, Issue: 6, Pages: 934-951

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Abstract

To address the need to better prepare teachers to enact science education reforms the National Science Foundation has supported a Research Experience for Teachers RET’s format for teacher professional development In these experiences teachers work closely with practicing scientists to engage in authentic scientific inquiry Although there are many RET programs currently serving teachers there is only a small body of research describing these programs and their outcomes Just as science learning depends on both cognitive and affective factors of learners the success of teacher professional development also depends on the cognitive and affective factors of the participants Thus the intent of this mixed method research is to better understand how the nature of professional development experiences shape the kinds of teachers that apply and what this means for the design of such experiences This study focused on describing the cognitive and affective characteristics of applicants for two different RET programs offered at the same institution Findings suggest that the profiles of teachers who seek out these professional development programs vary based on the programs’ objectives The findings also suggest that recognition of who is being served in professional development must be considered in the construction of those professional development experiencesThis research was funded by NSF Teacher Professional Continuum TPCAward 0553769 Any opinions findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation

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