Curriculum-based teacher professional development in middle school science: A comparison of training focused on cognitive science principles versus content knowledge |
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| Authors: | Rui Yang Andrew C. Porter Christine M. Massey Joseph F. Merlino Laura M. Desimone |
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| Affiliation: | 1. American Institutes for Research, Washington, District of Colombia;2. Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;3. Psychology Department, University of California, Los Angeles, California;4. The 21st Century Partnership for STEM Education, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania;5. College of Education and Human Development, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware |
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| Abstract: | This study investigates, through a cluster-randomized trial, the effectiveness of two approaches to increasing middle school students’ science learning using a traditional science curriculum. Ninety schools were randomly assigned into one of three arms: (a) a treatment arm in which the textbook curriculum was modified based on four principles of cognitive science coupled with teacher professional development (PD), (b) a second treatment arm in which teachers received PD designed to improve their knowledge of the science content, and (c) a business-as-usual control group. The PD was able to change teacher practice but barely improved teacher knowledge. No significant boost in student achievement was observed, except in a few instances, where there were some promising findings. Exploratory analyses were conducted to examine what makes the interventions more effective. Implications for future research were discussed. |
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| Keywords: | cognitive science curriculum design middle school science randomized controlled trial student achievement teacher content knowledge teacher professional development |
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