Impacts of a Practice-Based Professional Development Program on Elementary Teachers' Facilitation of and Student Engagement With Scientific Argumentation. (August 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Osborne, Jonathan F.; Borko, Hilda; Fishman, Evan; Gomez Zaccarelli, Florencia; Berson, Eric; Busch, K. C.; Reigh, Emily; Tseng, Anita
• Is Part Of: American educational research journal. Volume 56:Number 4(2019)
• Page Start: 1067
• Page End: 1112
• Publication Date: 2019-08
• Subjects: teacher professional development -- argumentation -- science -- practice-based professional development; Education -- United States -- Periodicals; Education -- Research -- United States -- Periodicals; 370.97305
• DOI: 10.3102/0002831218812059
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0002-8312

Abstract

This article reports an investigation of a professional development program to enhance elementary teachers' ability to engage their students in argument from evidence in science. Using a quasi-experimental approach, three versions were compared: Version A—a 1-week summer institute with a 2-week summer practicum experience and 8 follow-up days (four per year), Version B without the practicum experience, and Version C—a revision of Version A in Year 3. All teachers were videoed twice each year, and the videos were rated using an instrument to measure the quality of discourse. All versions led to a significant improvement in teachers' facilitation of classroom discourse. Neither the practicum nor the revised program had an additional effect. Implications for the field are discussed.