In the United States, the Next Generation Science Standards advocate for the integration of computational thinking (CT) as a science and engineering practice. Additionally, there is agreement among some educational researchers that increasing opportunities for engaging in computational thinking can lend authenticity to classroom activities. This…

This article provides a description of a novel, attitude-focused, professional development intervention, and presents the results of an experimental pretest-posttest control group study investigating the effects of this intervention on primary teachers' personal attitudes toward science, attitudes toward teaching science, and their science…

Little is known about how the content of a video case influences what preservice teachers learn about science teaching. This study was designed to determine the impact of two different video cases on preservice elementary teachers' conceptions of multiple aspects of effective science teaching, with one video selected to focus attention on the role…

Teachers often have difficulty implementing inquiry-based activities, leading to the arousal of negative emotions. In this multicase study of beginning physics teachers in Australia, we were interested in the extent to which their expectations were realized and how their classroom experiences while implementing extended experimental investigations…

Using the biology faculty of one high school (n = 9) and the mathematics faculty of another (n = 16), this study tested the hypothesis that constructivist teachers play an active role within teacher communication networks (the constructivist-teacher hypothesis). This hypothesis contrasts with the view that constructivist teachers operate alone and…

Discusses research on kinetic structure, a microstructure concept (concerned with sequential organization of individual verbal statements or individual behavior acts). (PEB)

Describes the experiences of teachers (n=7) and science-oriented experts (n=20) involved in the Elementary Science Integration Project designed to promote science as central to cross-curricular studies. Results revealed the influence of teachers' scholarly and pedagogical orientations on the way they think about science-language-arts connections.…

Findings indicate that students whose teachers support their competence to make classroom decisions, compared to students whose teachers do not, are confident and more committed to making classroom decisions. Students in a cooperative learning structure, compared to those in a competitive one, expect enjoyable and productive decision-making…

This study was conducted to determine if secondary school science teachers differed in personality factors from secondary non-science teachers. Scores of 80 science and 35 randomly selected non-science teachers were collected on the 16 PF Questionnaire. (PS)

Points out that the pupil control ideology of student teachers, as a group, did become significantly more custodial during student teaching. Findings indicate that if a teacher feels threatened unless students are rigidly controlled, effective use of inquiry curricular materials is reduced. (LS)

Twenty-eight secondary science student teachers were included in a self-evaluation study. The instrument consisted of 89 statements describing observable teaching behavior. PGR was found to be useful in teacher evaluation when used with video tape observations. (LS)

Determines the effect on inquiry of different contingencies of reinforcement. Classes of biology students were exposed to one of four treatments: verbal reinforcement and mimicry; using student ideas as reinforcers; using special privileges as reinforcers; and no reinforcement. Results include verifications that verbal reinforcement and mimicry…

Investigates a number of factors underlying junior- and senior-high science teachers' beliefs and behaviors. A Science Classroom Behavior Q-Sort was developed and administered to 67 teachers. Analysis of results sorted teachers into three distinct groups; tables list the five highest and five most distinctive beliefs of each group. (CS)

This summative evaluation of Teacher Corps' training programs assesses the overall effectiveness of the training in terms of changes in intern teaching behavior. Five behaviors changed in frequency significantly and support is provided for the use of modeling, feedback, practice and reinforcement to influence teacher behavior. (BT)