Teachers' incorporation of nanoscale science and engineering lessons into the classroom and factors that influence this incorporation

Kelly M Hutchinson, Purdue University

Abstract

Previous research has shown that teachers face a number of challenges when incorporating innovative science content into their curricula. These challenges include: lack of science equipment; lack of support from a professional development team; lack of time to plan and teach the lessons; weak teacher content knowledge; and problems created by teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning including, their beliefs about reform efforts (Peers, Diezmann, & Watters, 2003; Roehrig, Kruse, & Kern, 2007). One innovative and interdisciplinary science field currently under investigation is nanoscale science and engineering (NSE) due to its emerging prominence in society, the need to help students gain entry into the job market, and the need to educate informed citizens. As teachers and science educators begin to incorporate nanoscale science and engineering concepts into existing science curricula, many factors will influence the incorporation of the NSE concepts. This study was specifically designed to examine how middle- and high-school teachers incorporated NSE lessons into their current curricula and the factors that influenced how these lessons were incorporated. Interviews were the primary data source for this study, with teachers’ reflective narratives and classroom observations contributing to the data. The constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Patton, 2002) was used in analyzing the data to determine the themes that emerged. The results of this study demonstrated that although teachers indicated many factors that influenced their decision to incorporate NSE into the curriculum. Teachers’ content knowledge, teachers’ beliefs about student abilities, and teachers’ beliefs about the fit of NSE lessons to the current science curriculum were the most influential factors in determining the way teachers’ incorporated NSE lessons. If teachers did not have the content knowledge nor were confident in their content knowledge, NSE incorporation did not occur. Teachers also had to believe that their students were capable of learning NSE concepts and that the concepts were relevant to their science curriculum if they were to incorporate NSE into their classrooms.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Bryan, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Teacher education|Secondary education|Science education

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