Following the argument that an explicit focus on teacher thinking is an important outcome for professional development (Capps, Crawford, & Costas, 2012; Desimone, 2009), the research presented here examines the impact of one form of professional development, Research Experiences for Teachers (RETs), has in shaping teachers’ beliefs and affect related to inquiry in the classroom. By examining two distinct forms of RETs, this study incorporates 5 years of data collected from more than 100 RET participants, which include elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Evidence was drawn from analysis of multiple instruments measuring science teachers’ self‐efficacy (STEBI), pedagogical discontentment (STPD), teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning (TBI), and Contextual Beliefs about Teaching Science (CBATS). The results indicate that both RET programs were successful in shaping teachers’ beliefs and affect—particularly in decreasing pedagogical discontentment and enhancing beliefs about reform. However, the RET program that focused mainly on teacher practice was more successful in shaping teachers’ beliefs and was the only program to show an influence on teachers’ practice.

The first years of teaching can be demanding, as the novice works to gain familiarity with many aspects of professional work. Often, what they have been prepared to do in teacher education programs is not aligned with what is expected at them in schools. As a consequence, many teachers leave the profession or move away from the reform‐minded practice emphasized in their preparation as they accept the norms of their new community of practice. Using cultural historical activity theory, this comparative case study explored two beginning science teachers' transition into the teaching profession and the roles a community of practice played in this transition. Findings suggest that these science teachers were influenced by the social and professional structures at their schools and by the level of institutional and interpersonal support they received from peer teachers and administrators. The extent to which these teachers became involved in the community of practices at their schools greatly influenced their instructional practice. Implications suggest that science teacher preparation and induction programs must go beyond simply emphasizing teaching and learning—they must also address strategies young teachers can use to access the support they need to be able to consistently enact reform‐based practices. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 93:996–1025, 2009

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Transforming science learning through student-centered instruction that engages students in a variety of scientific practices is central to national science-teaching reform efforts. Our study employed a large-scale, randomized-cluster experimental design to compare the effects of student-centered and teacher-centered approaches on elementary school students' understanding of space-science concepts. Data included measures of student characteristics and learning and teacher characteristics and fidelity to the instructional approach. Results reveal that learning outcomes were higher for students enrolled in classrooms engaging in scientific practices through a student-centered approach; two moderators were identified. A statistical search for potential causal mechanisms for the observed outcomes uncovered two potential mediators: students' understanding of models and evidence and the self-efficacy of teachers.

The aim of this research is to describe the development of the Science Teachers’ Pedagogical Discontentment Scale, an instrument that measures the discontentment that arises in teachers as they recognize a mismatch between their own pedagogical beliefs and goals and their actual classroom practices. From a conceptual change perspective, we explore the meaning of pedagogical discontentment and discuss its role in shaping teachers’ receptivity to messages of reform. We present an instrument that can be used to measure teachers’ pedagogical discontentment, an instrument that will allow science educators to better describe the affective states of teachers as they enter professional development experiences. The items for the initial instrument were derived from a series of interviews with practicing teachers; from these interviews, a group of 42 items were designed around a group of five subscales. The final instrument, revised after two rounds of field testing, includes 21 multiple‐choice items clustered around six subscales (subscales derived from interviews with science teachers). The processes used to develop the items and to refine instrument are discussed. Uses for this instrument to inform professional development experiences are explored as well as implications.