Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Science--Study and teaching (Primary)--Iowa; Science teachers--Iowa; Science--Study and teaching (Primary); Science teachers; Iowa;
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine if the science teaching practices identified by Tobin and Fraser (1988) are indeed used more often by science teachers who have been judged more effective by supervisors. Through a review of the articles on the project, Exemplary Practice in Science and Mathematics Education (EPSME) an observation model of effective teaching was created. The observation model listed practices determined to be effective through the qualitative observations of teachers identified as exemplary by their supervisors. This observation model was then tested in a mathematics and science institute for the at-risk student. The research consisted of classroom observations of four teachers, three to four sessions for each teacher. Two of the teachers had been identified as less effective and two as more effective by the directors and supervisors of the institute. The classroom observations were conducted blind. The researchers scripted the teacher practices and the teacher-student interactions throughout the observation. These notes were then transcribed to the observation model for further analysis. It was found that the teachers who had been identified as more effective had used the practices listed on the model more often than the teachers who had been identified as less effective. Three specific practices in which disparities were evident were: the development of automony [sic] and independence, the ability to ask questions to stimulate student thinking, and the willingness and ability to follow a lesson to closure. It was determined that the observation model should have further testing in traditional classroom settings and with a significantly larger group of teachers. As a result of the study, additional questions regarding the classroom observation of teachers were raised: ( 1) does the less effective teacher avoid teaching, and (2) does teacher attitude toward being observed have any relationship to teacher effectiveness.
Year of Submission
1992
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of Physics
First Advisor
Robert Ward
Second Advisor
Greg Stefanich
Third Advisor
John Smith
Date Original
1992
Object Description
1 PDF file (82 leaves)
Copyright
©1992 Leslie Jane Wilkinson Brandt
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Brandt, Leslie Jane Wilkinson, "A Study of Effective Practice in Primary Science Teachers" (1992). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2161.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2161
Comments
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