Believe it or not: A case study of the role beliefs play in three middle school teachers' use of computers in teaching science

In the past twenty years, teacher beliefs have been found to have a strong influence on the way teachers teach in many disciplines, but only recently is research being done in relation to teaching with computers. As computers become more ubiquitous in schools, it is more important than ever to determine how computers are being used in classrooms, how they could better support student learning, and the reasons why they may not be used in ways advocated by research.;In this study, I used a conceptual model of the beliefs that have been shown to influence teaching behavior, an in-depth interview technique (Munby Repertory Grid Technique---RGT) to uncover beliefs, and an exemplary case study methodology to highlight the relationship between the beliefs and teaching with computer behaviors of three middle school teachers. The cases were exemplary in that many of the barriers research has shown to hinder teachers' ability to integrate computers in their teaching were minimized. The teachers all taught at the same technology magnet school and had strong administrative and technological support, professional development in the use of computers, and permanent access to student laptop computers equipped with wireless Internet. To get a complete picture of the teachers' belief systems, I used the Munby RGT with each teacher to explore their teaching with computer beliefs, their science teaching beliefs, and their general teaching beliefs. I then collected data on their teaching with computer behavior through classroom observations, lesson plan report forms, teaching behavior logs, and written reflections, among others.;I found that the teachers' beliefs did influence their teaching with computer behavior. For example, although all teachers expressed beliefs that could support student-centered and inquiry-based teaching with computers, some of their beliefs, such as teacher-centered behavioral management beliefs, were more dominant and may have kept the teachers from reaching full implementation of best practices. Often their general teaching or science teaching beliefs were more dominant than their teaching with computer beliefs.;Implications for teachers' professional growth in teaching with computers, and professional development of teachers in general, are discussed.