Assessing Teachers' Beliefs about Their Science Teaching Context

Andrew T. Lumpe · Jodi J. Haney · Charlene M. Czerniak

332 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Research in Science Teaching

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Science Education and Pedagogy Teacher Education and Leadership Studies Education, Achievement, and Giftedness

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to develop and apply a method for assessing teachers' context beliefs about their science teaching environment. Interviews with 130 purposefully selected teachers resulted in 28 categories of environmental factors and/or people who were perceived to influence science teaching. These categories were used to develop items for the Context Beliefs about Teaching Science instrument and provided evidence for content validity. Construct validity was partially confirmed through factor analysis that resulted in 26 items and two subscales on the final instrument. Using Ford's Motivation Systems Theory and Bandura's Theory of Collective Efficacy, additional evidence for construct validity was found in the modest correlation of context beliefs with outcome expectancy beliefs and the low correlation with science teaching self-efficacy beliefs. The instrument was tested using 262 teachers participating in long-term science professional development programs. These teachers possessed fairly positive context beliefs and, according to Ford's theory, should be capable of effective functioning in the classroom. It was concluded that the assessment of context beliefs would complement current science teacher self-efficacy measures, thereby allowing researchers to develop profiles of science teachers' personal agency belief patterns. It could also be used to determine the factors which predict particular personal agency belief patterns, and assess teachers' perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of school science programs, and could be used in planning and monitoring professional development experiences for science teachers. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 275–292, 2000.

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References

1999Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control 1980Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior 1997Self-efficacy: the exercise of control 1985From Intentions to Actions: A Theory of Planned Behavior 1992Teachers' Beliefs and Educational Research: Cleaning up a Messy Construct 1995National Science Education Standards 1993Perceived Self-Efficacy in Cognitive Development and Functioning 1986Prediction of goal-directed behavior: Attitudes, intentions, and perceived behavioral control

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2003Teachers’ beliefs about issues in the implementation of a student-centered learning environment 2012Science teachers and scientific argumentation: Trends in views and practice 2011Primary teachers' attitudes toward science: A new theoretical framework 2005Connecting Science and Mathematics Instruction: Pedagogical Context Knowledge for Teachers 2002From Beliefs to Actions: The Beliefs and Actions of Teachers Implementing Change 2012

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