Premium
The effect of a problem solving in‐service program on the classroom behaviors and attitudes of middle school science teachers
Author(s) -
Abell Sandra K.,
Pizzini Edward L.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of research in science teaching
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.067
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1098-2736
pISSN - 0022-4308
DOI - 10.1002/tea.3660290704
Subject(s) - mathematics education , psychology , science education , observational study , coding (social sciences) , significant difference , treatment and control groups , middle level , multivariate analysis of variance , medicine , mathematics , chemistry , polarization (electrochemistry) , statistics , pathology
This study examines the effect of an in‐service education program emphasizing problem solving on teacher attitudes toward teaching science and on teaching behaviors. Twenty‐two middle school science teachers participated in the program and another 22 served as the control group. The two groups were similar in terms of gender, teaching status, educational background, and professional activity during the treatment period. Before and after the eight‐month project, subjects completed attitude surveys and recorded videotapes of themselves teaching science lessons. No difference was noted between the groups on the attitude measure. The videotapes were analyzed using a coding scheme developed for use in this study. A multivariate analysis of variance performed on the observational data showed a significant difference between the groups on the postworkshop measure. The experimental‐group teachers shifted to more student‐centered classrooms, with less lecture and procedural talk. This study provides evidence that an extended in‐service education program can affect the teaching behaviors of science teachers in the middle grades.