Instructional Experiences of Graduate Assistants Implementing Explicit and Reflective Introductory Biology Laboratories

Abstract

Science education reform documents identify nature of science (NOS) as a critical component of scientific literacy and call for universities, colleges, and K-12 schools to explicitly integrate NOS learning into science curricula. In response to these calls, this study investigated the classroom practices of nine graduate assistants (GAs) who taught expository and inquiry laboratories that implemented an explicit and reflective (ER) pedagogy to teach NOS. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the experiences that enabled or inhibited GA implementation of an ER strategy in a college setting. The findings revealed that achieving quality implementation in this setting was very difficult. Factors such as GAs' ability to foster meaningful classroom discussions, laboratory logistics (e.g. lack of time and supplies), and the value undergraduates and GAs saw in learning about NOS were identified by GAs and observed by the researchers as barriers to the technique maximizing its potential. Thus, for meaningful infusion of NOS into science curricula, pedagogical support for GAs to manage meaningful classroom discussions in support of NOS or other complex topics is recommended for an ER approach to NOS learning to be successful in college settings.

Keywords:

• Explicit and reflective
• Graduate assistant
• Professional development
• Nature of science
• Laboratory work

Notes

1. We refer to the textbook definition of the linear step-by-step scientific method. Based on this definition, scientists start with a question and then formulate their hypothesis. They then test their hypothesis, analyze their data, and accept or reject the hypothesis.