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Fostering agency to overcome barriers in college science teaching: Going against the grain to enact reform‐based ideas
Author(s) -
Birt Julie A.,
Khajeloo Mojtaba,
RegaBrodsky Christine C.,
Siegel Marcelle A.,
Hancock Tamara S.,
Cummings Keala,
Nguyen Phuong D.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
science education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.209
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1098-237X
pISSN - 0036-8326
DOI - 10.1002/sce.21519
Subject(s) - agency (philosophy) , construct (python library) , science education , narrative , mathematics education , pedagogy , class (philosophy) , sociology , psychology , computer science , social science , linguistics , philosophy , artificial intelligence , programming language
Student‐centered and inquiry‐based teaching improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning at all levels. However, reform efforts have been met with limited success due to complex interactions between structural relics of our education systems and the pre‐existing beliefs of STEM instructors. Using the Teacher‐Centered Systemic Reform model and the construct of agency, we investigated these interactions through three case studies of new undergraduate science instructors after they completed a graduate introductory course: college science teaching. Data included interviews, in‐class observations, surveys, and classroom artifacts. Forming a case narrative, data revealed instructors' beliefs, practices, and the barriers that had to be circumnavigated, overcome, or accommodated by instructors. Results demonstrated how different forms of agency mediated the barriers and outcomes that emerged between the personal and contextual factors associated with college science teaching. This study provides insight for supporting new college instructors, fills a gap in the literature, and enhances theoretical understanding of the importance of agency in systemic reform.