Summary

Goal

The goal of this year-long study is to determine how different levels of PL among DSCs impacts new teachers in their first five years of teaching, which can improve student learning. More specifically, this study will examine the following research questions:

1. How, if at all, does the PL of DSCs impact the effective instruction (e.g., implementation of 3D instruction, equitable instruction) of new secondary science teachers in high-need LEAs?

2. How, if at all, does the PL of DSCs impact the retention of new secondary science teachers in high-need LEAs?

Plan

This mixed-methods study will collect data over a one-year period comparing the PL experiences of three groups of DSCs.  

• DSCs who have high levels of PL and a sampling of their teachers.

• DSCs who have moderate levels of PL and a sampling of their teachers

• DSCs who rarely or don’t engage in PL and their teachers

Data collection will include PL interviews and surveys, instructional interviews, instructional artifacts, and historical data. The data will be qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed to understand how the PL of a DSC contributes to the support and retention of new science teachers. 

Findings: Findings from this project will contribute to our understanding of the selection, quantity, and quality of PL of DSCs. This study may shed light on how DSCs influence the effectiveness and retention of secondary science teachers.  To determine the potential impact of PL on DSCs, this project creates three comparison groups.

Conceptual Framework

Theoretical Framework: Free-Choice Learning

Falk (2001) introduced the idea of free choice learning to replace the use of informal and nonformal learning. Free choice learning focuses on the unique nature of out-of-school environments like museums, libraries, organizations, conferences that allow the learner to select the learning option and space that best suits her needs or interests. The key component of free choice learning is the “perceived choice and control by the learner” (Falk, 2005, p.273). The learner must perceive that there are learning opportunities related to her needs and/or interests and that she has the ability to freely select (or not to) from among those choices. According to this framework, learning results from these free choice experiences and is not sequential or continuous. It relies on curiosity, control, choice, and intrinsic motivation (Falk, 2001; Falk & Dierking, 2002). 

Free choice learning also recognizes that the process of learning is cumulative and involves a commitment to lifelong learning (Falk & Dierking, 2002). For DSCs’ learning, this means the knowledge, practices, and attributes need to lead a district is an accumulation of experiences that may include student teaching experiences, learning science in high school or college, reading research or practitioner books, attending PL or conferences, or participating in professional learning communities (Falk & Dierking, 2002). To enhance their process of learning, DSCs must purposefully engage in PL opportunities that align with their needs and goals. They must also recognize that their learning began with their initial teacher preparation and continues throughout their career. In this project, free choice learning is the guiding framework for understanding DSCs’ experiences in PL opportunities they choose to attend. The ideas of choice, alignment, and lifelong learning are considered in the context of the selection, quantity, and quality of PL DSCs attend.

This project was funded by the National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Track 4 Grant Project (Grant #2150781). However, the results presented here do not necessarily represent the policy of the National Science Foundation, and readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government.