A COMPARISON OF TWO SCIENCE INSERVICE MODELS ON TEACHERS' ACQUISITION OF SELECTED ENERGY CONCEPTS AND STAGES OF CONCERN AS A FUNCTION OF THEIR LEVEL OF ACTIVITY

This study investigated the effects of two models of science inservice education on the participants' acquisition of knowledge and stages of concern profiles. In addition the participants' students were evaluated for knowledge acquisition. The independent variable was the model of inservice training. One inservice education model placed the participants in an active learning role while the other allowed them to be passive learners. Each model consisted of four, one and one-half hour inservice education training sessions emphasizing the knowledge and skills necessary to implement a new energy science curriculum. There were three dependent variables; acquisition of knowledge, changes in stages of concern profiles, and their students' acquisition of knowledge.;The study used a modified, non-randomized pretest-posttest design. Analysis of variance and covariance was used to test the hypotheses. The sample consisted of 20 teachers and 53 intact classes of students. Teachers and students were randomly assigned to treatments.;No significant differences were found between the active and passive experimental treatments on the teacher knowledge and student knowledge variables. The teacher passive group had a significant increase in knowledge while the teacher active group did not. Significant changes occurred within and between experimental groups on the SoC variable. The experimental treatment in which the participants were active was significantly better for addressing the concerns of teachers beginning to use a new science curriculum.;The results of this study indicated teachers may acquire knowledge while being either active or passive learners. Additionally, teachers informational concerns are best addressed by placing them in an active role i.e. interacting with the new science curriculum. Both models of inservice training are equally effective in training inservice teachers to learn and use new science curricula.