The development and validation of a primary science curriculum delivery evaluation questionnaire

This study describes the processes involved in the development and statistical validation of a primary science curriculum delivery evaluation instrument, the Science Curriculum Implementation Questionnaire (SCIQ), used to identify factors influencing science programme delivery at the classroom and school level. The study begins by exploring the themes generated from several qualitative studies in the New Zealand context pertaining to the phenomenon of primary science delivery. Building on the findings from the qualitative studies, quantitative procedures used to develop and validate both a five‐scale, 35‐item SCIQ and a seven‐scale, 49‐item SCIQ are presented. Finally, current applications of the seven‐scale, 49‐item SCIQ as a foundation for data collection, staff discussion and collaborative decision‐making for the purpose of primary science delivery are briefly discussed.     

“Are you saying I'm to blame?” Exploring the Influence of a Principal on Elementary Science Delivery

This research exercise, employing an action research model for curriculum improvement, explored the factors influencing science program delivery at an elementary school in New Zealand. Using a validated science program delivery evaluation tool, the Science Curriculum Implementation Questionnaire (SCIQ), as a foundation for data collection, staff discussion and collaborative decision-making, a school embarked on a self-review process and, first of all, identified factors influencing science program delivery and, secondly, identified strategies for improvement of science delivery. After a school-wide cycle of focused science delivery improvement, the evaluation was repeated and further emerging trends and strategies for improvement were collaboratively discussed and implemented. Implications of this self-review process on science program delivery improvement are discussed, especially within the context of the role of the principal in influencing curriculum delivery.     

“The Growth Is There–But It’s Not That Evident,Is It!”: A Study in Science Delivery Improvement

The purpose of this study was to monitor the development of teacher personal attribute and school environmental factors at an urban intermediate (years 7 and 8) school in New Zealand as a result of an extended science professional development intervention project. Over a 2-year period, a validated, comprehensive science curriculum delivery evaluation instrument, the Science Curriculum Implementation Questionnaire (SCIQ, Lewthwaite, 2001), was used as a tool for data collection to monitor the initial and perpetuating influences of a full-year professional development program on science delivery. Based on the data collected and staff responses emanating from the analysis and discussion of the data represented by the SCIQ, outcomes of and contributors to the development were identified. As well, the effectiveness of both the professional development program and the SCIQ as an instrument for monitoring personal attribute and environmental changes as a result of professional development interventions are evaluated.     

Determinants of implementation of an elementary science program

Concern with the problem of science curriculum implementation has been highlighted by surveys which have shown that the impact of the major NSF sponsored curriculum projects has not been as pervasive as might be expected. Although there has been some recent research and theory development on the problem of implementation, little work has been done on the determinants of implementation, especially in science. This article describes a replicated study of factors influencing implementation of a hypothetical elementary science curriculum. The instrument used allowed teachers to respond to a particular implementation scenario devised by combining a number of statements about properties of an innovation with school and teacher reactions to the innovation. Responses were given as estimates of the probability of implementation under the conditions described in the scenario. Results showed that the staff attitude factor was by far the most salient influence on implementation. An inservice factor which was highly significant in one of the applications of the instrument failed to replicate. This suggested the possibility that context differences between the two samples may have been important for this factor. The findings are interpreted in relation to Fullan's

1 See: Fullan, M. The meaning of educational change. Toronto: OISE Press, 1982.

model of implementation and to other research which highlights the importance of individual interpretation of the properties of an innovation.     

The Influence of University Coursework on Pre-service Middle and High School Teachers’ Experiences with Multicultural Themes

The study explored the influence of university-based teacher education courses on pre-service middle and high school teachers’ experiences with multicultural themes in a secondary science alternative certification program. Eight participants (N = 8), six women and two men, volunteered to be a part of the study that took place over a period of four semesters. Qualitative data was collected, coded and analyzed to make meaning of the participants’ experiences. Data comprised of participants’ reflective journals, personal and group interviews, and classroom observations done in middle school practicum and high school student teaching placements. The findings indicated that while the participants became more familiar with the themes of multicultural education, many did not demonstrate fluency with these themes and struggled with balancing their responsibilities as a science teacher and a culturally competent teacher.     

School Leaders’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Learning Disabilities: Implications for Support in Inclusive Schools in the Sultanate of Oman

The study examined school leaders’ and teachers’ perceptions of Learning Disabilities (LDs) in Key Stage1 Schools in a sample drawn from schools in Muscat, the capital city of Oman. A sample of 175 school leaders and 175 teachers completed The Survey on Learning Disabilities (SLD), an instrument developed to explore beliefs and perceptions of the causes of LDs. A principal component analysis indicated that six factors underlie perceptions of LDs: The governmental formal educational system, repertoire of teachers’ skills and school support, familial and cultural background, students, academic curriculum, and social change. Multivariate analyses showed that school leaders perceive more strongly than teachers that the governmental formal educational system and academic curriculum as main causal factors for LDs. Implications for support of students with LDs in inclusive settings in Oman are discussed.     

Preparing mathematics and science teachers through a residency program: perceptions and reflections

The critical challenge of recruiting, preparing, and retaining high-quality mathematics and science teachers for high-need urban schools is complex. Therefore, identifying factors that support and impede a teaching residency program’s implementation may have the potential to build an effective initiative that will benefit all stakeholders. The purpose of our study was to examine preservice teachers’ perceptions about their experiences in the Teaching Residency Program for Critical Shortage Areas program, a federally funded program designed to address teacher shortages in mathematics and science in high-need schools. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) the residency framework, (b) a relevant curriculum, and (c) immersion in an authentic school context. Our findings have the potential to inform policy-makers, school administrators, university directors of school partnerships, and other individuals who have direct influence on teacher recruitment and retention.     

Preparing early childhood preservice teachers for science teaching: aligning across a teacher preparation program

In early childhood education and early childhood teacher preparation, science is often a challenging academic content area. However, young children are primed for science learning, and early science learning is important for later science achievement. The current study presents an embedded case study of one early childhood teacher preparation program that undertook a process of infusing and aligning science teaching preparation across a curriculum preparing preservice teachers to work with children ranging in age from birth through third grade. Major themes fell into the three categories—motivation for change; the process of improving and aligning across a program; and science attitudes, beliefs, and experiences in the midst of change. Implications are discussed in terms of improving preparation for teaching early science and aligning across courses in early childhood teacher preparation.     

An Analysis of Teaching Competence in Science Teachers Involved in the Design of Context-based Curriculum Materials

The committees for the current Dutch context-based innovation in secondary science education employed teachers to design context-based curriculum materials. A study on the learning of science teachers in design teams for context-based curriculum materials is presented in this paper. In a correlation study, teachers with (n?=?25 and 840 students) and without (n?=?8 and 184 students) context-based curriculum material design experience were compared on context-based competence. Context-based competence comprises context handling, regulation, emphasis, design, and school innovation. Context-based teaching competence was mapped using both qualitative and quantitative research methods in a composite instrument. Due to the differences in design team set-up for different science subjects, teachers with design experience from different science subjects were also compared on their context-based competence. It was found that teachers with design experience showed more context-based competence than their non-designing colleagues. Furthermore, teachers designing for biology showed more context-based competence than their peers from other science subjects.     

Examining the Use of Curriculum to Support Early Literacy Instruction: A Multiple Case Study of Head Start Teachers

Research Findings: This qualitative study examined how Head Start teachers thought about children’s early literacy and how they enacted their thinking in a year-long curriculum reform effort. Data collected included interviews, observations, questionnaires, concept maps, and teachers’ reflections on implementation. The results indicated that as teachers implemented the new curriculum, a number of factors influenced their instructional practice. Four cross-case themes emerged: Volunteering to Change, Teachers’ Perspectives About Early Literacy, The Relationships Within Teaching Teams, and The Head Start Context. Practice or Policy: Findings are discussed as they relate to improving early literacy instruction through the use of curriculum. Implications for practitioners and teacher educators are outlined, including the importance of addressing gaps in teacher knowledge, facilitating skill development, and influencing teachers’ motivation to engage in change. Equally important to consider are factors that may influence a teacher’s readiness to change his or her practice and emphasizing the need for supportive environments as teachers work to enhance children’s early literacy development.     

Kindergarten Teacher Buy-In for Standards-Based Reforms: A Dynamic Interplay Between Professional Identity and Perceptions of Control

Political and societal pressures are influencing kindergarten teachers and their classroom practices on a national level. Teachers’ receptivity to reforms depends to a large degree on their buy-in to the change effort. Drawing on analyses of interviews with kindergarten teachers across school and districts, this study examined teacher buy-in to an increased academic focus in kindergarten and in turn the factors that influence buy-in. Research Findings: Analyses revealed that kindergarten teachers in the same schools and districts had qualitatively different responses to the increased academic focus in kindergarten. Teachers’ professional identity, sense of control, and interactions with school leaders emerged as factors influencing teacher buy-in. Practice or Policy: The role of teacher buy-in as a crucial component in times of change is discussed. Specifically, situating reforms in the context of implementation science and teacher well-being is discussed.     

The student opinion survey in chemistry: Some cross-national data

This paper reports data on student attitudes to chemistry obtained with the Student Opinion Survey in Chemistry (SOSC). These data were obtained as part of an evaluation of the Australian Academy of Science's School Chemistry Project, a project to develop chemistry curriculum materials for the last two years of high school in Australia. The results obtained in the present study are compared with those reported by Heikkinen (“A study of factors influencing student attitudes towards the study of high school chemistry,” Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland, 1973). The potential usefulness of using the same instrument in cross-national studies is discussed.     

Book reviews

Background: To help equip students with 21^st century competencies, one popular strategy adopted by governments and schools worldwide is to move from less formal to more engaging school environments through School-Based Curriculum Development (SBCD). In Singapore, the governmental call to Teach Less and Learn More has galvanised SBCD in schools nationwide. Schools have been given more autonomy and greater flexibility to develop diverse approaches in innovating their own curriculum frameworks.

Purpose: This study aims to provide a nuanced, retrospective account of the enactment of SBCD via Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-integrated, theme-based programmes in a primary school in Singapore. The research questions that guide this study are: (1) How do the school stakeholders enact SBCD? (2) How does the enactment affect the school stakeholders?

Method: This study looked into curriculum innovation using a retrospective lens and employed a case study approach to examine the enactment of SBCD in the school. Five focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with the major stakeholders of the school, including two school leaders, ten key personnel and ten teachers across different subjects and grade levels. Thematic analysis of the data was undertaken.

Findings: Four themes and twelve associated sub-themes were identified from the analysis of the FGDs. The four themes include experimentation, support, growth and challenges. This whole-school approach to curriculum innovation had a clear focus on mobilizing the school community to tackle the uncertainties of implementing an innovative curriculum. The stakeholders played diverse but intertwined roles throughout different stages of the enactment process, producing strong collegiality amongst the stakeholders. This prevailing collegiality, as embedded in the active participation of the stakeholders in a multiplicity of collective sharing and learning practices, seems likely to help the school achieved desired outcomes.

Conclusions: The whole-school approach to curriculum innovation in the case school is promising from the perspectives of teaching-learning and student outcomes, but cannot provide a panacea for all the challenges encountered in the enactment process.     

Ten Years of CERI

Summaries

English

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the different value positions claimed by Macdonald to be inherent in his three curriculum development models resulted in differences in the content of science curricula and/or the organization of such content. Information on this subject was obtained from a sample of 90 randomly‐chosen science teachers vvho examined junior high school physical science curricula, then completed a questionnaire used as a measuring instrument. This instrument was based on established criteria for selecting and organizing content for a curriculum. From the results obtained, it was concluded that significant differences in content as well as in content organization did indeed exist in the science curricula representative of Macdonald's three models. Moreover, it was found that content representative of specifie groups of selection criteria such as discipline‐oriented, societal needs, and student needs was responsible for the differentiation in the content among the models. Thus, the findings supported Macdonald's contentions. This information should be useful in future science curriculum development.     

Using Explicit Teaching of Philosophy to Promote Understanding of the Nature of Science

Adopting an explicit and reflective approach to the teaching of the history and philosophy of science is useful in promoting high school students’ understanding of the nature of science. Whereas the history of science is usually signposted clearly in the school science curriculum, the philosophy of science is considered to be embedded in and integral to science education. This article argues that philosophical topics also need to be explicitly signposted and discussed in the teaching of the nature of science in high schools. This study investigates an interdisciplinary course on the nature of science in a Chinese senior high school. The course involved explicit teaching of philosophy of science topics with subject knowledge in each lesson. This mixed method design of the research included a modified version of the Views on Science, Technology and Society questionnaire as reported by Aikenhead and Ryan (Science Education, 76(5):477?491, 1992) and phenomenographical analysis. Although the sample size is small, the results suggest that explicit teaching of philosophy of science topics helps students better understand both the nature of science and the relationship between science, technology and society.

     

HOW MUCH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS NEEDED TO EFFECT POSITIVE GAINS IN K–6 STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT ON HIGH STAKES SCIENCE TESTS?

This paper is a report of a study that examines the relationship between teacher participation in a multi-year, K–6 professional development effort and the “high stakes” science test scores of different student groups in 33 rural mid-west school districts in the USA. The professional development program involved 1,269 elementary school teachers and utilized regional summer workshops and distance delivery technologies to help the teachers learn science concepts, inquiry teaching strategies, and how to adapt science inquiry lessons to teach and reinforce skills in the language arts. Regression analyses revealed a significant positive relationship between the professional development hours experienced by teachers and student gains on high stakes test scores. But the analyses also suggest that primary grade teachers need less professional development than upper grade teachers on instructional strategies where the focus is on the integration of language arts and science inquiry. The implications for funding and implementing professional development projects are discussed.     

A Multi-Year Study of the Impact of the Rice Model Teacher Professional Development on Elementary Science Teachers

A teacher professional development program for in-service elementary school science teachers, the Rice Elementary Model Science Lab (REMSL), was developed for urban school districts serving predominately high-poverty, high-minority students. Teachers with diverse skills and science capacities came together in Professional Learning Communities, one full day each week throughout an academic year, to create a classroom culture for science instruction. Approximately 80 teachers each year received professional development in science content and pedagogy using the same inquiry-based constructivist methods that the teachers were expected to use in their classrooms. During this four-year study, scientists and educators worked with elementary teachers in a year-long model science lab environment to provide science content and science pedagogy. The effectiveness of the program was measured using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods that allowed the researchers to triangulate the findings from quantitative measures, such as content test and surveys, with the emerging themes from the qualitative instruments, such as class observations and participant interviews. Results showed that, in all four years, teachers from the REMSL Treatment group have significantly increased their science content knowledge (p?<?0.05). During the last two years, their gains in science content knowledge, use of inquiry-based instruction and leadership skills were significantly higher than those of the Control group teachers' (p?<?0.01, p?<?0.001 and p?<?0.05, respectively). Three themes resonated in the interviews with participants: science content knowledge growth, constructivist pedagogy and leadership skills.     

What “ideas‐about‐science” should be taught in school science? A Delphi study of the expert community

Recent arguments in science education have proposed that school science should pay more attention to teaching the nature of science and its social practices. However, unlike the content of science, for which there is well‐established consensus, there would appear to be much less unanimity within the academic community about which “ideas‐about‐science” are essential elements that should be included in the contemporary school science curriculum. Hence, this study sought to determine empirically the extent of any consensus using a three stage Delphi questionnaire with 23 participants drawn from the communities of leading and acknowledged international experts of science educators; scientists; historians, philosophers, and sociologists of science; experts engaged in work to improve the public understanding of science; and expert science teachers. The outcome of the research was a set of nine themes encapsulating key ideas about the nature of science for which there was consensus and which were considered to be an essential component of school science curriculum. Together with extensive comments provided by the participants, these data give some measure of the existing level of agreement in the community engaged in science education and science communication about the salient features of a vulgarized account of the nature of science. Although some of the themes are already a feature of existing school science curricula, many others are not. The findings of this research, therefore, challenge (a) whether the picture of science represented in the school science curriculum is sufficiently comprehensive, and (b) whether there balance in the curriculum between teaching about the content of science and the nature of science is appropriate. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 692–720, 2003     

Students' ranking of and opinions about the standards of learning in Nigerian Science Education Program

The purpose of this study was to investigate how postsecondary school science education students rank some identified science education program standards, as well as to seek their opinions regarding their perception of the desirability and achievement of the standards in Nigeria. A total of 265 final-year science education students in 10 colleges of education selected through stratified random sampling participated in the study. The Science Education Program Assessment Model containing 13 identified program standards of science education was used for data gathering. The instrument developed for use in Virginia State science education and adapted for the Nigerian situation was found to be highly reliable using the internal consistency and test-retest procedures. The results indicated that encouraging students to become self-directed learners and emphasizing the utilization of scientific values were prioritized as first and last, respectively. Paired t-test comparing opinions of the students about the desirability and achievement of standards indicated significant differences at p < .01. No significant gender differences were found in the study sample's perception of the desirability and achievement of the science education program standards in Nigeria. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

课程改革与学校文化重建——一所学校的个案研究

课程改革与学校文化之间存在相互制约的关系,学校文化是制约课程实施的主要因素,系统的课程改革就是学校文化的变革,新的基础教育改革蕴涵全新的学校文化要素。作者以日常生活为切入点,对一所进行新课程改革的小学进行了课程改革和学校文化关系的个案研究,结果表明:作为文化变革的课程改革将是一个长期的过程;新课程的实施需要引起学校文化的自觉与重建的努力;优秀的学校文化是学校发展的内在动力;校长是优秀文化的塑造者。