Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Practices and Emerging Identities of Beginning Science Teachers in Online and Offline Communities of Practice

A Longitudinal Mixed Methods Study

  • Chapter
Studying Science Teacher Identity

Part of the book series: New Directions in Mathematics and Science Education ((NDMS))

  • 948 Accesses

Abstract

The inception of this chapter was actually quite personal, as its birth was a direct result of my own long, convoluted, and sometimes painful scholastic journey. Not infrequently, I would find myself pondering, “Of what does the actual evidence of one’s authentic self, one’s “identity,” consist? How can I best perceive and understand this identity? And, what do my conclusions mean, what do they tell me about how a person grows and learns to navigate the world?” Evolving through the intellectual and investigational processes these questions sparked, I came to be introduced to, and fascinated by, the various academic concepts used to describe the inevitable relationships that form between one’s practices and one’s identity—particularly the concepts of Cameron (2001), Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, and Cain (2001), and Wenger (2008).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Abell, S. K., Dillon, D. R., Hopkins, C. J., McInerney, W. D., & O’Brien, D. G. (1995). “Somebody to count on”: Mentor/intern relationships in a beginning teacher internship program. Teaching and Teacher Education, 11(2), 173–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, R. D. (2002). Reforming science teaching?: What research says about inquiry. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 13(1), 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anthony, T. D., & Kritsonis, W. (2006). National implications: An analysis of e-mentoring induction year programs for novice alternatively certified teachers. Doctoral forum – National Journal for Publishing and Mentoring Doctoral Student Research, 3(1). (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.ED493137)

    Google Scholar 

  • Appeldoorn, K. (2004). Developing and validating the Collaboratives for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (CETP) core evaluation classroom observation protocol (COP) (PhD dissertation). University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bang, E., & Luft, J. A. (2014). Exploring the written dialogues of two first-year secondary science teachers in an online mentoring program. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 25(1), 25–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bellah, R. N., Madsen, R., Sullivan, W. M., Swindler, A., & Tipton, S. M. (2008). Habits of the heart: Individualism and commitment in American life. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bice, L. (2005). Construction of knowledge about teaching practice and educating students from diverse cultures in an online induction program (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Montana State University, Montana, MT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (2007). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theories and methods (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory of research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). New York, NY: Greenwood Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Britton, E., Paine, L., Pimm, D., & Raizen, S (2003). Comprehensive teacher induction: Systems for early career learning. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers and WestEd.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Britzman, D. P. (1991). Practice makes practice: A critical study of learning to teach. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cameron, D. (2001). Working with spoken discourse. London, UK: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chatterjee, S., Williamson, V. M., McCann, K., & Peck, M. L. (2009). Surveying students’ attitudes and perceptions toward guided-inquiry and open-inquiry laboratories. Journal of Chemical Education, 86(12), 1427–1432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clare, L., & Aschbacher, P. R. (2001). Exploring the technical quality of using assignments and student work as indicators of classroom practice. Educational Assessment, 7(1), 39–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2007). Designing and conducting: Mixed methods research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darling-Hammond, L. (2000). Teacher quality and student achievement: A review of state policy evidence. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 8(1), 1–44. Retrieved from http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/392/515

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demir, A., & Abell, S. K. (2010). Views of inquiry: Mismatches between views of science education faculty and students of an alternative certification program. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 47(6), 716–741.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dewey, J. (2008). Democracy and education. Radford, VA: Wilder Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duschl, R. A., & Gitomer, D. H. (1997). Conceptual change in science and in the learning of science. In B. J. Fraser & K. G. Tobin (Eds.), The international handbook of science education (pp. 1047–1065). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14, 532–550.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engeström, Y. (2007). Putting Vygotsky to work: The change laboratory as an application of double stimulation. In H. Daniels, M. Cole, & J. V. Wertsch (Eds.), The Cambridge companion to Vygotsky (pp. 363–383). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Fairclough, N. (2003). Analysing discourse: Textual analysis for social research. New York, NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foot, K. A. (2001). Cultural-historical activity theory as practical theory: Illuminating the development of a conflict monitoring network. Communication Theory, 11(1), 56–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frazier, W. M., & Sterling, D. R. (2009). Helping new science teachers. Science Teacher, 76(5), 34–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gee, J. P. (2005). An introduction to discourse analysis: Theory and method (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldrick, L., Zabala, D., & Burn, J. (2013). Cultivating effective teachers through evaluation and support: A guide for Illinois policymakers and educational leaders. Retrieved from http://www.newteachercenter.org/products-and-resources/policy-reports/illinois-guide-policy-makers-educational-leaders

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, P., Wineburg, S., & Woolworth, S. (2001). Toward a theory of teacher community. The Teachers College Record, 103, 942–1012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hodgen, J., & Askew, M. (2007). Emotion, identity, and teacher learning: Becoming a primary mathematics teacher. Oxford Review of Education, 33(4), 469–487.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holland, D., & Lave, J. (2001). History in person: An introduction. In D. Holland & J. Lave (Eds.), History in person: Enduring struggles, contentions practice, intimate identities (pp. 3–33). Santa Fe, New Mexico: School of American Research Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland, D., Lachicotte, Jr., W., Skinner, D., & Cain, C. (2001). Identity and agency in cultural worlds. Cambridge, England: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingersoll, R. (2003, September). Is there really a teacher shortage? (CPER Report #RR-03-4). Seattle, WA: A National Research Consortium, University of Washington.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingersoll, R., & Merrill, E. (2013). Seven trends: The transformation of the teaching force, updated October 2013 (CPRE Report #RR-79). Philadelphia, PA: Consortium for Policy Research in Education, University of Pennsylvania.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingersoll, R. M., & Perda, D. (2009). The mathematics and science teacher shortage: Fact and myth. Retrieved from http://www.cpre.org/mathematics-and-science-teacher-shortage-fact-and-myth

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingersoll, R. M., & Smith, T. M. (2004). ‘Do teacher induction and mentoring matter?’ National Association of Secondary School Principals. NASSP Bulletin, 88(638), 28–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jaffe, R., Swanson, E., & Wheeler, G. (2006). E-mentoring for student success: Online mentoring and professional development for new science teachers. In C. Dede (Ed.), Online professional development for teachers: Emerging models and methods (pp. 89–116). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaasila, R., Hannula, M. S., Laine, A., & Pehkonen, E. (2008). Socio-emotional orientations and teacher change. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 67(2), 111–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrenz, F., Huffman, D., Appeldoorn, K., & Sun, T. (2002). Classroom observation handbook. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luehmann, A. L. (2007). Identity development as a lens to science teacher preparation. Science Education, 91(5), 822–839.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luft, J. A. (2009). Beginning secondary science teachers in different induction programs: The first year of teaching. International Journal of Science Education, 31(17), 2355–2384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luft, J. A., Roehrig, G. H., & Patterson, N. C. (2003). Contrasting landscapes: A comparison of the impact of different induction programs on beginning secondary science teachers’ practices, beliefs, and experiences. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40(1), 77–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luft, J. A., Firestone, J. B., Wong, S. S., Ortega, I., Adams, K., & Bang, E. (2011). Beginning secondary science teacher induction: A two-year mixed methods study. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 48(10), 1199–1224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mason, J. (1996). Qualitative researching. London, England: Sage

    Google Scholar 

  • Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council (NRC). (1996). National Science Education Standards (NSES). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Science Board (NSB). (2006). America’s pressing challenge-building a stronger foundation: A companion to science and engineering indicators – 2006. Retrieved from http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsb0602/

  • Ralph, E. (2002). Mentoring beginning teachers: Findings from contextual supervision. Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, 16(3), 191–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roehrig, G. H., & Luft, J. A. (2004). Inquiry teaching in high school chemistry classrooms: The role of knowledge and beliefs. Journal of Chemical Education, 81(10), 1510–1516.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roehrig, G. H., & Luft, J. A. (2006). Does one size fit all? The experiences of beginning teachers from different teacher preparation programs during an induction program. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 43(9), 963–985.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, J. A., & Bruce, C. D. (2007). Teacher self-assessment: A mechanism for facilitating professional growth. Teaching & Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies, 23(2), 146–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sfard, A., & Prusak, A. (2005). Telling identities: In search of an analytical tool for investigating learning as a culturally shaped activity. Educational Researcher, 34(4), 14–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sinclair, M. (2007). Editorial: A guide to understanding theoretical and conceptual frameworks. Evidence Based Midwifery, 5(2), 39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singer, J., & Willett, B. (2003). Applied longitudinal data analysis: Modeling change and event occurrence. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, D., & Holland, D. (1996). Schools as a heteroglossic site for the cultural production of persons in and beyond a hill community in Nepal. In B. Levinson, D. Foley, & D. Holland (Eds.), The cultural production of the educated person: Critical ethnographies of schooling and local practice (pp. 273–299). Buffalo, NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T. M., & Ingersoll, R. M. (2004). What are the effects of induction and mentoring on beginning teacher turnover? American Educational Research Journal, 41(3), 681–714.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strong, M., & St. John, L. (2001). A study of teacher retention: The effects of mentoring for beginning teachers (Working Paper # 3). Santa Cruz, CA: New Teacher Center at UC Santa Cruz.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tashakkori, A., & Teddlie, C. (Eds.). (2003). Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Dijk, T. (2006). Discourse as interaction in society. In T. van Dijk (Ed.), Discourse as social interaction: A multidisciplinary introduction (1 ed., Vol. 2, pp. 1–37). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Rens, L., van der Schee, J., & Pilot, A. (2009). Teaching molecular diffusion using an inquiry approach: Diffusion activities in a secondary school inquiry-learning community. Journal of Chemical Education, 86(12), 1437–1441.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Varelas, M., House, R., & Wenzel, S. (2005). Beginning teachers immersed into science: Scientist and science teacher identities. Science Education, 89(3), 492–516.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Villani, S. (2002). Mentoring programs for new teachers: Models of induction and support. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Volkmann, M. J., & Anderson, M. A. (1998). Creating professional identity: Dilemmas and metaphors of a first-year chemistry teacher. Science Education, 82(3), 293–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wainwright, C., Flick, L., Morell, P., & Schepige, A. (2004). Observation of reform teaching in undergraduate level mathematics and science courses. School Science and Mathematics, 104, 322–335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wenger, E. (2008). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wenger, E. (2010). Communities of practice and social learning systems: The career of a concept. In C. Blackmore (Ed.), Social learning systems and communities of practice (pp. 179–198). London, England: Springer. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-84996-133-2_11

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Werry, C. C. (1996). Linguistic and interactional features of internet relay chat. In S. Herring (Ed.), Computer-mediated communication: Linguistic, social and cross-cultural perspectives (pp. 47–63). Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Willett., J. B., Singer, J., & Martin, N. C. (1998). The design and analysis of longitudinal studies of development and psychopathology in context: Statistical models and methodological recommendations. Development and Psychopathology, 10, 395–426.

    Google Scholar 

  • Windschitl, M. (2002). Framing constructivism in practice as the negotiation of dilemmas: An analysis of the conceptual, pedagogical, cultural, and political challenges facing teachers. Review of Educational Research, 72(2), 131–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R. (2003). Case study research: Design and methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zygouris-Coe, V., Yao, Y., Tao, Y., Hahs-Vaughn, D., & Baumbach, D. (2004, October). Qualitative evaluation on facilitator’s contributions to online professional development. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Chicago, IL.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Science Education, Iowa State University, United States

    Eunjin Bang (Associate Professor)

  2. Science Education, University of Georgia, Georgia

    Julie A. Luft (Athletic Association Professor)

Authors
  1. Eunjin Bang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Julie A. Luft
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nicosia, Cyprus

    Lucy Avraamidou

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Sense Publishers

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Bang, E., Luft, J.A. (2016). Practices and Emerging Identities of Beginning Science Teachers in Online and Offline Communities of Practice. In: Avraamidou, L. (eds) Studying Science Teacher Identity. New Directions in Mathematics and Science Education. SensePublishers, Rotterdam. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-528-9_13

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-528-9_13

  • Publisher Name: SensePublishers, Rotterdam

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-6300-528-9

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation