TITLE:
Teachers’ Transformation to Inquiry-Based Instructional Practice
AUTHORS:
Jeff C. Marshall, Julie B. Smart
KEYWORDS:
Beliefs; Collective Case Study; Conceptions; Instructional Methods; Inquiry-Based Instruction; Inquiry Instruction; Science Education; Teacher Transformation; Transition in Practice
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.4 No.2,
February
7,
2013
ABSTRACT:
This collective case study examines
secondary science teachers’ responses to a professional development program
designed to assist in the transformation of inquiry belief structures and
inquiry instructional practices. These teachers were participants in a
year-long professional development institute that focused on increasing the
quantity and quality of inquiry in secondary science classrooms. This
multi-case design examines multiple data sources in order to answer the
following research question: How do the beliefs and practices of teachers
regarding inquiry-based instruction evolve over the year of intervention? Participants
were selected using the data from an inquiry observational protocol to
represent a variety of abilities and beliefs regarding inquiry instructional
practice. The results provide insights into teachers’ belief structures and
classroom structure related to inquiry instruction. Further, we detail the role
of the professional development experience in facilitating transformation of
classroom practice. Implications for how professional development programs are
developed and led are provided.