Is Engineering Inspiring Change in Secondary Chemistry Teachers’ Practices?

ABSTRACT

The inclusion of engineering practices poses a challenge for many science teachers trying to meet the expectations of the Next Generation Science Standards because they lack formal training in engineering. This, however, may provide an opportunity for science teacher educators striving to improve the use of learner-centered teaching practices by science teachers. The exploratory study in this article describes the impact to teachers’ practices of a professional development program on the inclusion of engineering in high school chemistry. Survey data and a case study of 1 of the participants were used to assess the professional development program. By the end of the program, teachers described using engineering activities in their classroom along with more general changes to other aspects of their teaching. The subject of the case study included new student-centered teaching methods in his teaching practice in the year following the professional development. In line with conceptual change theory and transfer of learning theory, the results of this study led to the hypothesis that learning to include engineering in their classrooms may improve secondary science teachers’ use of learner-centered practices throughout their teaching.

KEYWORDS:

• Engineering in science
• NGSS implementation
• reform-based science teaching

Acknowledgments

Thanks to the Center for Educational Transformation at the University of Northern Iowa, who funded the professional development program.