An investigation into a constructivist approach to raising primary teachers' confidence in teaching science

This research has attempted to show that with a programme of oontinued professional development based on oonstructivist principles that teacher confidence and subsequently teacher effediveness can be increased. No attempt has been made to marry the teacher's own professional development and oonfidence in teaching science using a Vygotskyian approach (Vygotsky, 1978). There is no evidence for this linked with the demonstration of techniques that teachers can use with children even by dassroom coaching approaches. This programme has been based mainly on these research questions: 1. How can the oonfidence of teachers be analysed and what evidence of increased confidence in this group of teachers can be found? 2. How can a construdivist approach be used to improve teacher effectiveness in teaching science? 3. How can methods of assessment of children's ability be used to assess 'understanding' rather than 'recall' of scientific concepts? 4. What evidence was there that children's and teachers' talk had developed as a result of the intervention? The programme has developed teacher oonfidence by raising key scientific concepts and pedagogies through a series of workshops and developing these by using in-class support sessions where particular scientific ideas were appropriately addressed and made accessible to children. The research also demonstrated to teachers, that the ideas children held and were typical, as shown by many other researchers as cited extensively in Driver et 81. (1994). Teacher confidence in teaching and developing science was judged by a series of questionnaires based on the ideas of Enochs and Riggs (1990) but covering the main topics in science and scientific enquiry with the questionnaires, containing the same questions, allowing a longitudinal comparison to be made. These were analysed by Simple mean values and were displayed using bar graphs. Teacher oonfidence was also judged by the extent of the effectiveness with which they used the strategies in their own teaching, demonstrating not only a change in teacher practice but also a change in their epistemology, the latter being much more difficult to change. This research has shown a considerable increase in teacher confidence after the seoond year of support thus agreeing with Hussey et 81. (1999) that oontinued professional development takes time, resource investment and a mindset from the teachers. These were analysed by researcher observation, field notes and transcription of oonversations. The number of subjects in each of these analyses varied, so they are quoted as percentage values, as are the attainments of children. P.J.Harwood vtILIvefpooI John MooreI Unlveralty An Investigation into a Constructivist Approach to Raising Primary Teachers' Confidence in Teaching Science. Children's attainment has been assessed in their developing skills of communicating scientific ideas more cogently. This has illustrated their developing understanding assessed by observation and differences in attainment for research devised tests and national tests, focussing particularly on the children's ability to apply their scientific ideas to different contexts. All these were compared to published national performance and analysed statistically using t-tests. Finally part of the research was triangulated by use of an independent questioner interviewing the Headteachers from the primary schools. This was to validate, as far as posslole, the evidence the researcher made in the observations of the teachers' changing practice and the impact the intervention had on the children. P. J. Harwood vlULiverpool John Moores Unlvel1lty An Investigation into a Constructivist Approach to Raising Primary Teachers' Confidence in Teaching Science.