| Spurred by national trends to increase the achievement and skills of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, their pursuit of cognate careers, and degree programs, education reformers are developing approaches to improve K-12 science education through the delivery of innovative, research-based science teacher professional development programs. This qualitative, instrumental case study examines one such program, Photonics Blended Learning Teacher Professional Development (PBLTPD). Guided by Rogers's (2003) attributes of innovation theory, this study analyzes fifteen North Carolina middle and high school teachers' experiences in PBLTPD and explores teachers' decisions to implement the photonics and optics content, inquiry-based strategies, and web-based technology tools introduced in PBLTPD. Semi-structured interviews with participants and archrival program documents were analyzed using the constant comparative approach (Bogdan & Biklen, 2006; Glasser & Strauss, 1967).;The findings revealed that middle and high school teachers who participated in PBLTPD learned new science content knowledge, inquiry-based activities, teaching strategies, collaboration skills, facilitation skills for collaborative classroom instruction; and gained a broad awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of web-based technology strategies. The results show that teachers implemented optics and photonics content and inquiry-based strategies introduced in PBLTPD in their classrooms, professional learning communities, and extracurricular programs more frequently than web-based technology strategies. Their use of web-based technology evolved over time as they implemented it in informal science activities and through formal settings when school districts' promoted the use of the approach. Based on Rogers's attribute of innovation theory (2003), relative advantage, compatibility, and motivation were prominent factors that facilitated partial or full adoption of PBLTPD innovations. In contrast, complexity, lack of resources, and trialability of the limited or impeded aspects of adoption of the innovations.;The findings suggest that blended learning professional developments can facilitate learning of new science content, pedagogical approaches, and web-based technology strategies to meet the needs of middle and high school science teachers. The results also show that teachers benefit from collaborating with peer teachers, researchers, non-profit, and industry representatives to develop real world, problem-based learning experiences for students. Lastly, to promote both learning and full adoption of innovations presented in science teacher professional development programs, designers of professional developments must not only consider the values and needs of teachers and their social systems, but also take into account the innovation's relative advantages (the economic and social advantages of the innovation); compatibility (congruence of innovation with existing beliefs, past experiences, and potential needs of adopters); complexity (the potential adopters' difficulty in using or understanding the innovation); trialability (opportunities for potential adopters to experiment) and the motivation of teachers. |
