Analyzing beliefs and practices of a Mexican high school biology teacher

Abstract

This article explores the beliefs and practices of a high school biology teacher through three interrelated theoretical frameworks: common knowledge, collaborative learning, and communities of practice. The data were obtained from an in-depth case study of Maria, a biology teacher from a Mexican public high school that was participating in a 4-year international science project using collaborative learning and information and communication technology. Her beliefs and practices were explored by means of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and nonparticipant observation of classes. Through the use of the three-component framework, the degrees of coherence between practice and beliefs that guide the teacher's daily behavior became apparent, as well as the difficulties of incorporating innovations due to institutional constraints. ß 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 42: 2005 Research during the past decade has focused on the need to study teachers' beliefs in order to understand their teaching practices as well as how they develop their personal professional

Evolution of the conceptions of a secondary education biology teacher: Longitudinal analysis using cognitive maps

“…The lack of reflection on these topics is a factor contributing to the doubts and vagueness about the topic that many teachers show, and to the somewhat naive conceptions that they have about essential aspects of the nature of science, including frequent empiricist and inductivist features (Solís & Porlán, 2003;Windschitl, 2004). These empiricist features may at times coexist with other eclectic points of view about the nature of science (Acevedo, 2000;Lakin & Wellington, 1994;Manassero & Vázquez, 2000;Mellado, 1997;Verjovsky & Waldegg, 2005).…”

“…Sometimes, this is because they feel satisfied with, and there is coherence between their goals, their conceptions, their educational practice, and their perception of the students (McRobbie & Tobin, 1995). At other times, it is because there exist conditioning elements that reinforce traditional models, and are obstacles to changing them (Shwartz, Ben-Zvi, & Hofstein, 2005;Tobin, 1998;Verjovsky & Waldegg, 2005).…”

“…Other studies coincide in that a fundamental factor in change is to pass from a teacher and content-centered orientation to one centered on the students' learning Roehrig & Luft, 2004). In addition, experienced science teachers who initiate a process of change begin to take the students' ideas into account, and gradually incorporate student-centered activities, although they conserve many aspects of teachercentered procedures (Verjovsky & Waldegg, 2005).…”

The Relationship between Teachers’ Knowledge and Beliefs about Science and Inquiry and Their Classroom Practices

“…However, there is a pressing need for understanding teachers' beliefs as they relate to their classroom practices (Verjovsky & Waldegg, 2005), an understanding that might help in finding ways to overcome these barriers and ultimately improve the quality of student learning (Richardson, 2003). Similarly, Keys and Bryan, (2001) believe that this research is needed in the following four domains: (a) teachers' beliefs about inquiry; (b) teachers' knowledge base for implementing inquiry; (c) teachers' inquiry-based practices; and (d) how the student learns in the science classroom from teacher-designed, inquirybased instruction, including conceptual knowledge, reasoning, and nature of science understandings.…”

A Study on the Change of the Beginning Science Teachers' Beliefs About a Lesson and Teaching Practice in Argument-Based Inquiry Using Science Writing

“…교실 내에서 수업의 중요한 구성 요소인 교사의 인 식과 실제 수업 사이에 복잡한 관계를 밝히기 위하여 지난 20여 년 동안 교사들의 신념에 관한 연구가 이루 어져왔다. 이전의 연구들에서 교사의 인식이 실제 수 업 수행에 영향을 미친다는 보고들이 있었으며 (Verjovsky & Waldegg, 2005), 교사의 인식은 수업 실행에 변화를 일으키는 매개체 이므로 교사의 인식 이 중요하게 다루어져야 한다는 주장들이 있었다 (Beck, Czerniak, & Lumpe, 2000;Battista, 1994;Pajares, 1992). 그러나 현재까지의 교사의 인식에 대한 연구들은 한 사례로 단편적이거나, 일회성인 경우가 많고 지 속적으로 교사의 인식변화에 따른 행동을 알아보기 위한 연구는 부족한 편이다.…”