Genuine Faculty-Mentored Research Experiences for In-Service Science Teachers: Increases in Science Knowledge, Perception, and Confidence Levels

Figures & data

Figure 1. Procedural diagram of a convergent, parallel design for a mixed-methods study of teachers’ definition of and approach to scientific research before and after the Teacher-Researcher Partnership Program intervention. QUAL = qualitative; quan = quantitative.

Table 1. 2016 TRPP faculty mentoring strategies.

Question	n	%
1. Which option best describes the mentorship style you conducted with your TRPP mentee this summer?
Apprenticeship style (working side by side)	4	29
Sink-or-swim approach with periodic check-ins	1	7
Guided mentoring for first experiment, then freedom until hitting roadblocks	7	50
Other	2	14
2. How would you rate the effectiveness of your mentorship style for training of your mentee?
100% effective	2	14
It worked well 75% of the time	10	71
It worked well at least 50% of the time	2	14
Other	0	0
3. Were you able to mentor the teacher this summer in the same way that you mentor undergraduate or graduate students in your laboratory?
Yes, same as mentoring for undergraduate and graduate students	5	36
Same level of mentoring as I provide for my graduate students, but not for my undergraduates	4	29
Same level of mentoring as I provide for my undergraduate students, but not for my graduate students	1	7
Other	4	29
4. Do you plan to apply to participate in TRPP again in subsequent years?
Yes	11	79
No	0	0
Undecided	2	14
Other	1	7

Note. (A) University of Nebraska at Omaha faculty mentors were surveyed to determine the type of mentorship style they used with their Omaha Public Schools mentee. (B) Faculty mentors were surveyed to determine the perceived effectiveness of the mentorship style/methodology that was deployed. (C) Faculty mentors were surveyed to compare how they mentored teacher-researchers compared with undergraduate and graduate students in their laboratories. (D) Faculty mentors were surveyed to determine, at that time, how many were considering applying to participate in the program again in subsequent year(s). TRPP = Teacher-Researcher Partnership Program.

Figure 2. Summary of emergent themes/nodes from post-research experience interviews from science teachers.

Table 2. Results of quantitative data collection of ratings of Likert items from transcribed postexperience interviews.

	Likert scale rating
Likert item	1	2	3	4	5
Rate the benefit to your professional development of conducting an authentic research experience.	1	0	2	2	8
Rate the interaction with your mentor and research group on your professional development.	1	0	10	11
Rate the benefit of the weekly journal clubs to your professional development.	0	5	1	2	5
Rate the benefit of formally presenting your research in the symposium to your professional development.	0	1	3^a	5	4
Rate the benefit of participating in the poster evaluation as part of your professional development.	1	1	2	5^a	4

Note. The frequency of reporting for each Likert item is reported.

^aWhen participants responded with a decimal instead of an integer, we rounded up (n = 2 participants on two of the Likert items).