A Study on Promoting Reflective and Equitable Practice Through Science Teacher Induction

Induction of new teachers is one of the aspects of teacher education that is presumed to be an effective strategy for promoting teacher effectiveness. Yet, there is still a need for empirical data that can provide information as to characteristics that make induction effective. This is particularly true related to reform-based teaching characterized by the inquiry approach, as well as effective strategies for providing success in science for students often underrepresented in the sciences. This study, funded by the National Science Foundations' Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, through Track 4--Research on the Preparation, Recruitment, and Retention of K-12 STEM Teachers, will investigate science teacher induction in terms of reflective and equitable practice. In doing so, it will study induction program supports for beginning secondary science teachers and undergraduate Learning Assistants designed to (i) promote reform-based science teaching, (ii) develop teachers' reflective practices and (iii) foster their equitable, culturally responsive science teaching.

The project will create a scientist-teacher partnership induction program in which mutual learning is emphasized between undergraduate Learning Assistants and beginning secondary science teachers. Led by the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities faculty from the Colleges of Education and Human Development, Biological Sciences, and Science and Engineering, the project intends to increase beginning science teachers' reflective, reform-based, and culturally responsive science teaching beliefs and practices, as well as, increase undergraduate Learning Assistants' reform-based science teaching practices and interest in K-12 science teaching. A dual emphasis on developing both science teachers and Learning Assistants will support improved undergraduate science teaching while also providing a coherent learning trajectory into K-12 teaching. Design-based research will serve as the framework for the proposed work. An iterative process will be used for the ongoing design, testing, and refinement of the scientist-teacher partnership induction program. The project will examine: 1) the changes in beginning science teachers' reflective practices as well as their beliefs about and practices of reform-based and culturally responsive science teaching; 2) the ways in which science teachers approach the planning for and implementation of culturally responsive science teaching; 3) the changes in Learning Assistants' beliefs about, self-efficacy for, and practices of reform-based science teaching; 4) the influence of induction program elements on the professional growth of teachers' reflective practices, reform-based, and culturally responsive science teaching beliefs and practices; and 5) the influence of induction program elements on Learning Assistants' reform-based practices and their interest in K-12 science teaching. Through this research, the project will extend existing theories on preparing reform-based educators, culturally responsive science teachers and reflective practitioners through induction programs as well as construct a set of empirically-based design principles for scientist-teacher partnership induction programs with these aims.

This work is supported, in part, by the EHR Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad and enduring: STEM learning and STEM learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development.