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Laboratory Practices of Beginning Secondary Science Teachers: A Five-Year Study
ARTICLE

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Science Educator Volume 22, Number 1, ISSN 1094-3277

Abstract

During the beginning years of teaching, science teachers develop the knowledge and skills needed to design and implement science laboratories. In this regard, this quantitative study focused on the reported laboratory practices of 61 beginning secondary science teachers who participated in four different induction programs. The results demonstrated an increase in inquiry-based laboratories while the participants were engaged in a science-specific induction program. Nevertheless, after the program concluded, the teachers reported enacting more skill-based and verification laboratories rather than continuing with the inquirybased laboratories. Other findings included an increased use of computer equipment over time for all teachers and a positive correlation between the number of science methods courses that the teacher had taken and the use of professional laboratory equipment. The results of this study support the notion that science-specific induction matters and that this support should be sustained beyond two years. The authors call for further research on ways to support beginning secondary science teachers in their use of laboratory practices to promote students' acquisition of science knowledge, skills, and literacy.

Citation

Wong, S.S., Firestone, J.B., Luft, J.A. & Weeks, C.B. (2013). Laboratory Practices of Beginning Secondary Science Teachers: A Five-Year Study. Science Educator, 22(1), 1-9. Retrieved March 1, 2021 from .

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