Efficacy of a gender and ethnic equity in science education curriculum for preservice teachers

Abstract

The purpose of the Gender and Ethnic Equity in Science Education (GEESE) program, conducted during the student-teaching semester, was to provide preservice science teachers with the opportunity to use clinical observations and reflection as vehicles for discovery of the disparate school experiences of the diverse students in their science classrooms. The preservice teachers examined curricular materials in use during their practicum, student and teacher behaviors, the quantity and quality of student-teacher interactions, and grouping and evaluative strategies before attempting self-analysis at the conclusion of the program. Interviews were used as the source of qualitative evidence of change in the preservice teachers' attitudes and teaching behaviors. While students approved of the program initially, they eventually dismissed issues of gender and ethnic equity as critical once they began struggling with the inadequate academic preparation of their students and scant material resources. Ultimately, the preservice teachers identified the GEESE program as useful in that it provided them with specific critical techniques, but inappropriately placed at the conclusion of their professional development sequence. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 34: 1019-1038, 1997. It is likely that far fewer students in an ethnically and sexually mixed classroom will acquire the skills and self-esteem necessary to realize their talents and capabilities than their teachers would expect. Many of the pupils will be lost to a system that neglects their learning and their potential. The neglected ones, the girls and minority children, can expect to leave school at or before graduation with less achievement and self-esteem than they possessed when their schooling first began.It is plausible that most teachers are unaware of the waning characters who move through the classroom from year to year. Ideally, public education represents dedication to a democratic spirit and the concept of equality among all students; consequently, teacher training concentrates on procedure and remains all too often blind to the ethical dilemma imposed by gender and cultural disparities within the classroom.The Gender and Ethnic Equity in Service Education (GEESE) program provides students with opportunities for examination of individual perspectives on and practices of equitable science teaching. The purpose of this study was to discover emerging definitions of gender and ethnic equity in science education among preservice teachers in the context of their studentteaching practicum.Teacher preparation programs devote little if any time to issues regarding sexism and racism within the classroom (Gollnick & Cyr, 1979; Sadker & Sadker, 1985). Where there is JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING VOL. 34, NO. 10, PP. 1019-1038 (1997) © 1997 no recognition of a problem, there can be no action. Refusal to acknowledge inequalities in the school experience for female and male students and students of color or cultural distinction accompanies...

Challenges New Science Teachers Face

“…Several papers, taken together, illustrate the range of new teachers' knowledge of or ideas about approaches for teaching science for all (Arellano et al, 2001;Bianchini & Solomon, 2003;Bullock, 1997;Howes, 2002;McDevitt et al, 1995;Rodriguez, 1998;Sweeney, 2001). Rodriguez, for example, studied 18 preservice secondary teachers, including 4 focus teachers, and found that the preservice teachers tended to feel hopeless and overwhelmed about working with diverse students.…”

“…Science methods courses and teacher education programs also help preservice teachers to develop improved understandings of and attitudes toward science (e.g., Hynd et al, 1997;Palmer, 2002;Strawitz, 1993), learners (e.g., McDevitt et al, 1995Rodriguez, 1998;Yerrick & Hoving, 2003), diverse learners and science for all (e.g., Bailey, Scantlebury, & Johnson, 1999;Bullock, 1997;Fraser-Abder, 2001;Richmond et al, 1998;Rodriguez, 1998), and learning environments (e.g., Adams & Krockover, 1997a), as well as promoting self-efficacy (Huinker & Madison, 1997;King & Wiseman, 2001). Science teacher educators recommend innovations as wide-ranging as drawing science concept cartoons (Naylor & Keogh, 1999), writing about one's science learning experiences (Van Zee & Roberts, 2001), and listening to experienced science supervisors' stories about new teachers (Zuckerman, 1999).…”

Preparing Teachers for Culturally Diverse Schools

“…Another approach was to have preservice students tutor children in cultural contexts that are not primarily White and middle-class (Aaronsohn, Carter, & Howell, 1995;Barton, 1999;Boyle-Baise & Sleeter, 2000;Bullock, 1997;Lazar, 1998;Moule, in press;Murtadha-Watts, 1998;Rodriguez, 1998). These case studies described insights that specific preservice students gained, including their growth in awareness of culture, knowledge of a context different from their own, and awareness of their own stereotypes.…”

An Action Research Project on Preparing Teachers to Meet the Needs of Underserved Student Populations

“…Teachers often leave education programs with misconceptions about the history and culture of groups other than their own that are incomplete, misleading, and chauvinistic. Without intervention, these entering beliefs will continue to shape their ideas and practices within the classroom (Banks, 1991;Bullock, 1997;Feiman-Nemser, 2001;Zeichner, 1993). One of the current practices suggested is that of having preservice teachers explore their own cultural identities by writing autobiographies (Banks, 1991;Feiman-Nemser, 2001;Zeichner, 1993).…”

“…Equitable representation in curricular materials; equitable opportunities in the laboratory setting; and equitable evaluation of student performance are important information for prospective teachers to know (Bullock, 1997). Bullock also believes that preservice teachers are more apt to respond to novel instruction if it is presented in teacher training programs.…”