| NSF Org: |
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 25, 2009 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | June 27, 2014 |
| Award Number: | 0928177 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Julio Lopez-Ferrao
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2009 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2015 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $1,897,525.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $1,919,910.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2012 = $22,385.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
6350 QUADRANGLE DR STE 130 CHAPEL HILL NC US 27517-7803 (919)489-1725 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
6350 QUADRANGLE DR STE 130 CHAPEL HILL NC US 27517-7803 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
MSP-OTHER AWARDS, Computing Ed for 21st Century |
| Primary Program Source: |
04000910DB NSF Education & Human Resource |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
This project is studying the impact of NSF's Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program on teacher content knowledge, classroom practice, and student achievement. This cross-site study is examining the relationship between the nature of teachers' professional development experiences and both teacher and student outcomes across 10 MSP projects. An advisory board with expertise in research design, data analysis, professional development, and science content is providing feedback throughout the study.
What the field knows about professional development strategies to deepen the content knowledge of mathematics and science teachers is surprisingly limited given the extent of efforts in this area. One challenge for moving forward from these findings is that people use the term teacher content knowledge to mean very different things. Another challenge for the field is understanding which strategies or features matter most in professional development programs focused on deepening teacher content knowledge. Finally, substantial constraints in the research design, and/or instrumentation of many of the studies of professional development in the current literature have limited what has been learned.
The study is addressing these challenges by developing a system for capturing equivalent data across MSP projects. The study is documenting details on the professional development offered to teachers (i.e., the interventions), as well as measuring teacher content knowledge and student learning using common instruments across the MSPs. Data are being analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). The first phase of the analysis examines the impact of the MSPs on teacher content knowledge and investigates the relative impacts of different approaches to the professional development. The second phase extends the work to explore the relationships among teacher content knowledge, classroom practices, and student achievement. The study is also examining which MSP approaches appear most promising for closing historic achievement gaps.
In addition, the study is providing project-specific impact findings for each partner MSP, including results from appropriate statistical tests, and assisting partners with designing and implementing further analyses. Partner MSPs are given feedback on reports/articles they prepare using the standards of evidence review process developed by the MSP Knowledge Management and Dissemination project.
This project is adding to the knowledge base in several important ways. First, findings about the impact of MSPs on K-8 science teacher content knowledge, classroom practice, and student learning can provide guidance in the design of future professional development efforts. Second, the methodology for improving project-specific evaluations and at the same time providing data for more extensive and sophisticated cross-site analyses has the potential to enhance knowledge generation in future programs supported by NSF and other funders.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
AIM: K–8 Science was funded as an MSP RETA to add to what the field knows about professional development strategies for deepening the content knowledge of science teachers. Current knowledge is limited by a number of challenges. One is lack of clarity about the construct; people use the term “teacher content knowledge” to mean very different things. For example, some people use it to refer to disciplinary content knowledge and others use it to refer to pedagogical content knowledge. Another is that substantial constraints in the research design and/or instrumentation of many of the studies of professional development (PD) in the current literature have limited what has been learned.
AIM has sought to address these challenges by developing a system for collecting equivalent data across MSP projects. The study involved capturing details on the PD offered to teachers (i.e., the interventions), as well as measuring teacher disciplinary content knowledge and student learning using common instruments. Component One of AIM sought to examine the impact of the MSPs on teacher content knowledge and investigate the relative impacts of different approaches to the PD. Component Two explored the relationships among teacher content knowledge, classroom practices, and student achievement. A third component of AIM examined the impacts of a learning theory-based model to professional development and curriculum development on teachers, their teaching, and student learning.
AIM developed several instruments that are being used by others in the field to conduct research about professional development and its impact on teacher content knowledge, classroom practices, and student achievement. These instruments include 16 assessments of teacher and student content knowledge that cover four different topics at the elementary and middle grades levels. AIM also developed a classroom observation protocol that is explicitly aligned with an instructional model based on learning theory and co-developed a survey to measure of teachers’ beliefs about effective instruction. All of these instruments, and supporting documentation, have been made available for others to use at no cost.
Results from Component Three of AIM provide evidence to support a scalable approach to improving science education: using educative curriculum materials that are explicitly aligned with learning theory, with initial professional development to support teachers’ understanding of the pedagogical approach, structure of the curriculum materials, and particularly difficult content ideas.
Products from the study are available on the project’s website: http://www.horizon-research.com/aim.
Last Modified: 11/23/2015
Modified by: Eric R Banilower
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