Physics teacher isolation, contextual characteristics, and student performance

Abstract

Physics, as a foundational science, has particular importance in predicting the postsecondary success of students who major in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This quasiexperimental, observational study examined teacher-level and school-level predictors of student performance in physics, with a focus on isolated teachers. A New York State case study is useful since the teacher certification policy is largely determined at the state level in the U.S. The overall sample included New York State public schools that offered physics (N ¼ 960), physics teachers (N ¼ 1584), and student physics test takers (N ¼ 47 734) in the academic year 2016-2017. Teacher-level variables included the content preparation and certification of physics teachers, physics course load, professional age (years of experience), whether the teacher was isolated, whether the teacher taught mathematics, and whether the teacher taught Advanced Placement Physics; and school-level variables including physics standardized test passing rates, school size, socioeconomic status, locale, and physics course taking ratio. Data were collected from a variety of publicly available sources that were verified by state education agencies. Results indicated a significant proportion (40%) of physics teachers were isolated, and their students tended to have weaker physics performance scores than students of nonisolated teachers. Compared to the nonisolated teachers, a larger percentage of isolated physics teachers were uncertified in physics and taught in urban and rural schools. There was no significant difference in professional age between isolated and nonisolated teachers, but urban teachers had less teaching experience than suburban and rural physics teachers. When analyzing the subset of isolated teachers (n ¼ 449), a multiple linear regression model indicated urban locale and schoollevel socioeconomic status were the main negative predictors of student physics performance, while rural physics locale and professional age were positive predictors of physics performance; the model explained 38% of the variance, a large effect. Teaching experience acted as a mediator of poverty and urban locale in predicting student physics performance with a small effect size. Implications related to equity considerations and physics education policy are discussed.

NGSS-based teacher professional development to implement engineering practices in STEM instruction

“…High school academic course selection is an important consideration in engineering admissions, since post-secondary success in engineering study has often been linked to precollege course preparation in advanced mathematics and science (May and Chubin 2003;Tyson 2011). However, access to such courses has been inequitable in terms of ethnicity and socioeconomic status (Kelly and Sheppard 2009, 2010, 2019Krakehl et al 2020;National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics 2018;Padwa et al 2019;Sheppard et al 2020). Teachers may be influenced by latent biases concerning which students are best suited for engineering (Nathan et al 2010).…”

Impact of laboratory facilities access in Kwara State, Nigeria on student performance in upper basic schools

“…From the teaching experience of the teachers, Krakehl et al (2020), added that physics teachers' years of teaching experience have a significant effect on increasing students' achievement, compared to teachers with less experience, which will lead to low students' achievement. According to Alamsyah et al (2020), teachers' teaching experience significantly influences the students learning achievement because it significantly influences the teachers professionalism.…”

Chemistry Teacher Retention, Migration, and Attrition

“…10 In terms of disciplinary focus, studies have confirmed that science and mathematics have experienced chronic turnover, 23−25 particularly in lower socioeconomic schools where mathematics and science turnover rates are nearly 70% greater than higher socioeconomic schools. 7 Studies have suggested that teaching in isolation may lead to higher levels of turnover, 2,40,41 often due to increased levels of occupational stress and decreased self-efficacy stemming from limited access to collaboration and feedback from other teachers within the same content area. 14,42−46 In a recent study, isolated teachers had a higher likelihood of being in their first five years of teaching, working in a high-needs school district, and teaching out-of-field.…”

“…Studies have suggested that teaching in isolation may lead to higher levels of turnover, ,, often due to increased levels of occupational stress and decreased self-efficacy stemming from limited access to collaboration and feedback from other teachers within the same content area. ,− In a recent study, isolated teachers had a higher likelihood of being in their first five years of teaching, working in a high-needs school district, and teaching out-of-field. Approximately two-thirds of these isolated chemistry teachers taught in lower performing, lower socioeconomic schools .…”