Discourses about a teacher's self-initiated change in praxis: Storylines of care and support

At the foreground of this article is an account of an experienced science teacher's self-initiated change in praxis within an inquiry community. From classroom observation and interviews, data interpretations are made about the discursive practices of the teacher and his colleagues. In particular, the teacher's change in praxis is attributed to his dissatisfaction with previous practice, realization that alternatives were likely to provide better outcomes for his students, commitment to improving his practice, and a supportive school community in which teachers felt comfortable taking personal risks and engaging in professional discussions. The collaborative culture of the study site was characterized by the teachers' caring ethic for their students.     

Student disclosures of fraudulent practice in school laboratories

The debate about the inclusion of laboratory practicals in the school curriculum is continued in this paper which reports on fraudulent practice by students. One of the widely accepted goals of school laboratory practicals is to teach students about the nature of scientific inquiry. This paper reports how student disclosures of their actual practice in school laboratories is at odds with such a goal. We identify and define the student practice of “fudging” which involves faking, fabricating, or stealing data. Five types of fudging behaviour are described. The factors contributing to and the motivations for such behaviour are also identified.     

Solidarity through collaborative research

While numerous publications signal the merits of collaborative research, few studies provide interpretive analyses of collaborative‐research practices or collaborative relationships. Through this multiple case study design of collaborative‐research teams, the authors attempt to provide such an analysis by focusing on the collaborative‐research experiences of seven qualitative researchers from two contrasting research teams in Australia and North America. They highlight how solidarity emerged from successful interactions between interdependent members, and how these were both professionally and personally rewarding for individuals and the teams. As well, they identify the opportunities for solidarity afforded to researchers from vertical collaborations (i.e. collaborations involving differential status between team members) that featured evolving and transforming mentoring relationships through the history of the research projects. They propose that solidarity can be stratified within large research teams through sub‐units like dyads. Finally, they suggest that collaborating researchers might benefit from reviewing case studies of collaborative relationships, and engaging in mutual interrogation and subsequent individual reflections of their articulated collaborative practices and relationships.     

Students' thinking in a chemistry laboratory

Despite the almost mandatory inclusion of a laboratory component in the school curriculum very little has been reported about the effects of laboratory instruction upon student learning and attitudes. The present study was undertaken to investigate the thinking of students in a chemistry laboratory. An interpretive research method was adopted in collecting and analysing data gathered from observations, general interviews and stimulated recall interviews. Four high school students were studied during their participation in a week-long university summer school program. This study reports how the four students responded differently to the same laboratory experience. Specializations: chemistry and biochemistry education, thinking in science and industry. Specializations: science education, teacher learning and preparation, teaching thinking.     

Implementing Change within a School Science Department: Progressive and Dissonant Voices

The purpose of this study was to describe the teaching and leadership experiences of a science teacher who, as head of department, was preparing to introduce changes in the science department of an independent school in response to the requirements of the new junior science syllabus in Queensland, Australia. This teacher consented to classroom observations and interviews with the researchers where his beliefs about teaching practice and change were explored. Other science teachers at the school also were interviewed about their reactions to the planned changes. Interpretive analysis of the data provides an account of the complex interactions, negotiations, compromises, concessions, and trade-offs faced by the teacher during a period of education reform. Perceived barriers existing within the school that impeded proposed change are identified.     

Researcher–participant positioning in classroom research

Now that the discursive practices of students and teachers consume the attention of many classroom researchers, it is timely to consider the interrelationships between researchers and their participants or "subjects." Positioning theory gives prominence to the position/speech-act/storyline triad in conversations. While positioning theory has informed several poststucturalist scholars in a variety of settings, the authors are unaware of other studies where the positions/positioning of researcher and participants have become the focus of investigation. In this article the authors demonstrate how the application of positioning theory can be helpful in understanding conversations between researchers and their research participants, particularly in interviews. Also, they discuss the issues of power relations, subjectivities, validity, and ethics as they relate to the research relationships identified in the study.     

How do primary pre‐service teachers in a regional Australian university plan for teaching,learning and acting in environmentally responsible ways?

Integrated unit plans with an environmental focus can provide opportunities for school students to develop critical thinking skills, and to act in responsible ways – that is, to develop ‘action competence’. In this study, environmentally focused integrated unit plans, developed and implemented by final year pre‐service teachers at an Australian regional university, were analysed to determine the extent to which they contained concepts that promoted action competence. Results here suggest that more work could be done in the area of pre‐service education to prepare teachers for teaching, learning and acting responsibly in relation to complex environmental issues. In particular, there could be more emphasis on developing integrated unit plans that empower school students and promote critical thinking, democratic processes and action‐oriented knowledge.     

Learning the Craft: a student teacher's story

Experienced teachers’ craft knowledge could provide valuable resources for the professional development of pre‐service teachers. Through the voice of a student teacher, this article reports on a process of observing and questioning aimed at accessing the craft knowledge of experienced teachers. Learning partnerships formed during this process helped to overcome difficulties with experienced teachers articulating their knowledge, with the student teacher asking appropriate questions and with the student teacher focusing on relevant classroom events. Incorporation of a reflective component within the process provided a means for the student teacher to understand better the nature of teaching. The data revealed potential benefits for student teachers, teachers and teacher educators participating in this process.     

Laboratory apprenticeship through a student research project

There has been a long tradition of laboratory activities associated with science instruction. Despite constructivists' claims advocating open-ended inquiry and mentoring, little is known about what students are thinking when engaged in laboratory activities. Laboratory learning as a process of cognitive apprenticeship has been proposed as a metaphor to guide teacher practice and student learning. The viability of cognitive apprenticeship for learning science in school is discussed in relation to findings from an investigation of a research project involving high school students working in a university chemical engineering laboratory under the mentorship of a university-based scientist. Data from a variety of techniques were analyzed in an interpretive style. We found that the students were empowered to seek empirically viable knowledge claims as they became independent researchers. However, we argue that caution needs to be exercised before advocating open-ended inquiry as a general model for laboratory learning without additional studies in different contexts. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.