| My thesis explored the following major questions: (1) How do teachers describe the influences of an NSF-funded program on their science teaching? (2) In particular, how is their teaching influenced by partnerships formed as part of the program?;I qualitatively examined the impact of a project which involved collaborations between elementary schools and businesses in an effort to strengthen science programs. Results indicated that participating elementary teachers experienced conceptual changes in their views toward science and an increase in confidence with science content. Teachers increased the frequency with which they used hands-on activities, and products, processes, and technology in their science teaching. They also increased their ability to develop curriculum in science. Although teachers did not dramatically increase their subject matter knowledge from PPT, they did learn scientific concepts from the PPT modules and from the modules they themselves created.;Partnerships formed by teachers were instrumental in helping teachers and students to discover scientific relevance in the everyday surrounding environment, particularly important at a time when curricular relevance or "scientific literacy" is being stressed by policy initiatives, such as Project 2061. Historically, this focus differs from the post-Sputnik era in science curriculum development when many of the initiatives were geared toward the "best and the brightest," science for scientists (Duschl, 1990).;The more inductive characteristics of the case study method allowed me to theorize how factors such as knowledge, attitude, orientation toward science, and curriculum development affect science teaching. To increase generalizability, and to reassure myself that the events and processes in one well-described setting were not wholly idiosyncratic, I employed a multi-site case study design that included multiple data sources, such as pre- and post-questionnaires, other documentation, interviews, and classroom observation.;The nature of my research indicated a study more inclusive of the insights and understanding from the perspective of those being studied. I tried to investigate how teachers understand and interpret new policies in the context of their knowledge, beliefs, and teaching circumstances. |
