School Resources in Teaching Science to Diverse Student Groups: An Intervention’s Effect on Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions

Abstract

Elementary school teachers’ perceptions of school resources (i.e., material, human, and social) for teaching science to diverse student groups were examined across three school districts from one state. As part of a 3-year curricular and professional development intervention, we examined the effect on teachers’ perceptions after their first year of participation. The study involved 103 fifth-grade teachers from 33 schools participating in the intervention and 116 teachers from 33 control schools. The teachers completed a survey at the beginning and end of the school year. As a result of the intervention, teachers in the treatment group reported more positive perceptions of school resources than teachers in the control group.

Appendix: Teacher Survey Scales

I. Material Resources

Materials

• 1. Indicate how much of a barrier each of the following factors is to your science teaching.

	Not a barrier	Minor barrier	Moderate barrier	Major barrier
(a) Shortage of science resources (e.g., trade books, posters, and other supplements)	1	2	3	4
(b) Shortage of computers and technology for science instruction	1	2	3	4
(c) Classroom facility (e.g., lab set-up, insufficient space, furniture, etc.)	1	2	3	4

Time

• 2. Indicate how much of a barrier each of the following factors is to your science teaching.

	Not a barrier	Minor barrier	Moderate barrier	Major barrier
(d) Lack of time available to teach science	1	2	3	4
(e) Lack of time available for teachers to plan together	1	2	3	4
(f) Lack of time available for teacher professional development	1	2	3	4

II. Human Resources

Teaching Practices for Understanding

• 3. In your most recent teaching position, indicate how often YOU did the following in your science lessons.

	Never or almost never	Some lessons	Most lessons	Every lesson
(a) Use students’ ideas to generate class discussion	1	2	3	4
(b) Connect science topics to one another	1	2	3	4

In your most recent teaching position, please indicate how often you ASKED STUDENTS to do the following in your science lessons.

	Never or almost never	Some lessons	Most lessons	Every lesson
(c) Explain the reasoning behind an idea	1	2	3	4
(d) Apply science concepts to explain natural events or real world situations	1	2	3	4
(e) Talk about things they do at home that are similar to what we do in science class (e.g., measurement, mixture, energy sources)	1	2	3	4
(f) Discuss their prior knowledge or experience related to the science topic or concept	1	2	3	4

Teaching Practices for Inquiry

• 4. In your most recent teaching position, please indicate how often you ASKED STUDENTS to do the following in your science lessons.

	Never or almost never	Some lessons	Most lessons	Every lesson
(a) Provide evidence (observations, data) to support claims	1	2	3	4
(b) Use measurement tools (e.g., ruler, thermometer, scale/balance, timer, graduated cylinder)	1	2	3	4
(c) Design investigations to test their own ideas	1	2	3	4
(d) Analyze data to identify patterns and relationships	1	2	3	4
(e) Write about what was observed and why it happened	1	2	3	4
(f) Use simulations or models to construct explanations	1	2	3	4

Language Development Strategies

• 5. In your most recent teaching position, please indicate how often YOU did the following in your science lessons.

	Never or almost never	Some lessons	Most lessons	Every lesson
(a) Present information in multiple graphic formats (e.g., graphs, charts, photos, diagrams, and models)	1	2	3	4
(b) Use realia (including hands-on activities) to help students develop academic language of science	1	2	3	4
(c) Adjust style of interaction based on varying levels of English proficiency	1	2	3	4
(d) Make science text comprehensible (e.g., underline important information, identify main ideas and details, make inferences)	1	2	3	4
(e) Make science talk understandable (e.g., clearer enunciation, longer wait time)	1	2	3	4
(f) Use science terms in various contexts (e.g., introduction, science investigation, writing, and discussion)	1	2	3	4
(g) Create small groups with varying levels of language proficiency to work together in science class	1	2	3	4

Home Language Use

If you have NO ESOL level 1–5 students in your science class(es), skip to question #7.

• 6. In your most recent teaching position, please indicate how often YOU did the following in your science lessons.

	Never or almost never	Some lessons	Most lessons	Every lesson
(a) Encourage more English proficient students to assist less English proficient students in their home language	1	2	3	4
(b) Allow students to discuss science using their home language	1	2	3	4
(c) Introduce key science vocabulary terms in both their home language and English	1	2	3	4
(d) Allow students to write about science ideas or experiments in their home language	1	2	3	4

III. Social Resources

Teacher Collaboration in Science Practices

• 7. We would like to know how you feel about teaching science in your school. Please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with each statement.

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
(a) Most teachers in this school have a shared vision of effective science instruction	1	2	3	4
(b) When I have questions about teaching science, I can get good advice from other teachers in this school	1	2	3	4
(c) I can rely on other teachers in this school to help me try out new teaching techniques in science	1	2	3	4
(d) Teachers plan for science instruction together	1	2	3	4

Teacher Collaboration in Science Tasks

• 8. Please indicate how often YOU did the following with other teachers in your school during a typical month for at least 15 min.

	Never	1 time	2–3 times	4–8 times	9+ times
(a) Share teaching materials and activities for science	0	1	2	3	4
(b) Share stories about teaching experiences in science	0	1	2	3	4
(c) Analyze a specific student’s work in science	0	1	2	3	4
(d) Work together to develop activities for science instruction	0	1	2	3	4
(e) Share assessment tasks that reveal how students understand science	0	1	2	3	4

School Administration Support of Science

• 9. We would like to know how you feel about teaching science in your school. Please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with each statement.

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
(a) The school administration actively supports using the allocated time for science instruction	1	2	3	4
(b) The school administration allocates enough funding for supplementary science resources	1	2	3	4
(c) The school administration clearly communicates the importance of teaching science	1	2	3	4
(d) The school administration encourages faculty to plan for science instruction together	1	2	3	4
(e) The school administration recognizes student achievement in science	1	2	3	4
(f) The school administration demonstrates knowledge of Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) in Science	1	2	3	4

Parent and Family

• 10. Please indicate how much of a barrier each of the following factors is to science learning in your school.

	Not a barrier	Minor barrier	Moderate barrier	Major barrier
(a) Lack of participation in school activities (e.g., parent-teacher conferences, returning phone calls)	1	2	3	4
(b) Parent’s (or guardian’s) limited English proficiency	1	2	3	4
(c) Lack of supervision and support for homework	1	2	3	4