Epistemological Syncretism in a Biology Classroom: A Case Study

Abstract

In teaching science, the beliefs of teachers may come into conflict and inhibit the implementation of reformed teaching practice. An experienced biology teacher, Mr. Hobbs, was found to have two different sets of epistemological beliefs while his classroom practice was predominantly teacher-centered. A case study was then performed in order to investigate the underlying issues that contributed to his classroom practice. Data sources included preliminary and follow-up interviews and classroom observations. Data analysis indicated that factors that prevented the epistemological conflict from reaching a resolution included Mr. Hobbs’ beliefs about learning, contextual teaching factors, personal experiences as a student, and views of the nature of science. The findings from this case indicate that science teachers possess complex belief systems that are not immediately obvious to either the teacher or science teacher educators, and science teacher educators need to address teacher beliefs when they encourage teachers to implement reformed teaching practices.

Appendices

Appendix A

Preliminary Interview Protocol

• I. Background Questions

  1.:

  Could you tell me about your background in science and science teaching?

  2.:

  What do you see as your teaching strengths?

  3.:

  What areas do you feel are relatively weak in your teaching?

  4.:

  In what ways would you define science teaching?

  5.:

  How do you think students learn science? When your students learn science best?

• II. Misconception Questions and Teaching Strategies (General)

  1.:

  What concepts in (a topic) do you believe are the most important for your students to understand by the end of the instruction of this topic? Why?

  2.:

  Reflecting on your experience of teaching this topic (photosynthesis or heredity), what kinds of student misconceptions associated with this unit have you noticed?

  3.:

  How do you challenge the misconceptions?

  4.:

  How do you know when your students have misconceptions?/What strategies do you use to understand students’ understanding in this topic?

  5.:

  How do you know when your students understand a concept?

  6.:

  What do you usually consider when you plan a lesson? (students’ prior knowledge of the topic, learning difficulties with specific science concepts, etc.)

• III. Interview Questions in Combination with Observation

Before observation

1.:

Could you briefly describe today’s lesson?

2.:

What subject matters or concepts do you expect students would have difficulties with today? Why do you think so?

3.:

What kinds of students’ misconceptions associated with this lesson have you noticed? How would you help them correct the misconceptions?

4.:

What kinds of things do you take into consideration in planning this lesson?

5.:

How will you be able to know whether your students understand the concepts you try to teach today? What evidence are you looking for that students have been successful in addressing the goals for the lessons?

After observation

1.:

How do you feel about the lesson today?

2.:

What do you consider the most effective teaching moment was in the lesson?

3.:

Why? How did you achieve? Why did it work? What signaled you that students were learning?

4.:

Were there any student misconceptions you identified during the class that you haven’t known? If yes, how did you respond to challenge the misconceptions? Did it work? Why do you think it worked?

5.:

Did you make any changes in the class that I just observed differently from the other class periods or lesson plan? Why?

Appendix B

Follow-up Interview Protocol

• I. Past Experiences/Historical Factors

  1.:

  How is your teaching different from the teachers that taught you?

  2.:

  What role do you see yourself in as a classroom teacher?

  3.:

  Have your reflections upon your own teaching led you to change future lesson plans, and if so, in what way?

  4.:

  In what way do you think your teaching has been innovative?

  5.:

  In what context did you decide to become a science teacher?

  6.:

  How do you think your education has prepared you to be a good teacher?

• II. Nature of Student Abilities

  1.:

  Can you describe the ideal learning activity for students to participate in for an inquiry experiment?

  2.:

  Can you give an example of that kind of activity?

  3.:

  How much structure or guidance did you give your students for those activities?*

  4.:

  To what extend do you believe you are responsible for your student’s learning?

• III. Assessment of Learning

  1.:

  In what way do you think you get the most useful information about student learning for assessment and how do you use that information?

  2.:

  Do you ever get a chance to read their notebooks or writing assignments before they turn it into be graded?*

  3.:

  Would allowing students to design their own experiments be a useful means of assessing student knowledge?

  4.:

  How do you address the misconceptions that you know in advance students will have?

• IV. Nature of Student Learning

  1.:

  How do you know that all of the student’s are at the same “baseline” or have the same conception of the biology concept? And provide an example

  2.:

  How do you think you can get kids to “run around in that realm” (inquiry-based learning) – cognitively?

  3.:

  When students ask questions in the classroom, what types of questions do they ask that you consider being the most characteristic that students have a misconception?

• V. Contextual Factors

  1.:

  What characteristics of a science teacher do you believe are necessary to be a successful teacher?

  2.:

  Has there been anything from science education that has directly influenced your teaching?

• VI. Views of the Nature of Science

  1.:

  How much emphasis is needed to be placed on the scientifically correct answer or when is it appropriate for student to know the right answer to a scientific problem instead of knowing the process by which to arrive at that answer?

  2.:

  Do you believe your students can legitimately carry out a scientific investigation on their own?

* Questions which were not originally scripted for the interview but created in the process of interview.