Persistent, Enthusiastic, Relentless: Study of Induction Science Teachers (PERSIST)

本项目调查了四种不同类型的入职计划对100名五年级中学理科教师的影响。参与这项研究的教师在他们教学的头三年里参加了之前的一项研究。这四种类型的入职培训计划如下所述。由学区/地区中心提供的一般入门计划，2.由高等教育或科学组织提供的专门针对科学的电子指导计划，3.由高等教育机构提供的专门针对科学的计划，以及4.实习生计划允许教师在完成第一年教学时获得教师资格证书。洛夫特的研究集中于提供细节，让人们深入了解新获得资格的科学教师为何离开或坚持这一职业，以及入职计划如何影响他们的信念和实践。这项研究的研究问题是：1.入职计划对中学科学教师在四年级和五年级的留任有影响吗？2.关于坚持下去的教师、他们的表现和他们得到的帮助，可以做什么描述？3.初任科学教师在最初的五年里是如何发展的？入职计划如何促进这一发展？数据收集包括对每位教师的8次访谈和2次课堂观察。CETP-COP和俄勒冈州教师观察协议用于课堂观察。定量数据分析使用ANOVAS和HLM，然后对研究结果进行定性分析。研究团队设在亚利桑那州立大学，成员包括卢夫特博士、玛丽莲·汤普森博士、五名研究生和一名本科生。这些产品将包括向专业期刊提交的论文，向亚利桑那州科学协调员协会列表服务器发布的文章，以及直接分发给学校管理人员和当地会议。其影响将是增加对诱导计划的理解，了解它们实现了什么，以及哪些特征是有效的。这将帮助政策制定者和管理人员修改这些计划，以提高有效性。鉴于教师在头五年的高离职率和入职计划的受欢迎程度，主要影响将是增加高质量教师的留住。

This project examines the effect of four different types of induction programs on 100 5th year teachers of secondary science. The teachers involved in the study have participated in a previous study during their first three years of teaching. The four types of induction programs are described as follows.1. General induction programs offered by school districts/regional centers,2. Science-specific e-mentoring programs offered by higher education or science organizations,3. Science-specific programs offered by higher education institutions, and4. Intern programs that allow teachers to earn their teaching credential while they complete their first year of teaching.Dr. Luft's research concentrates on providing the details that give insights into why newly qualified science teachers are leaving or persisting in the profession and how induction programs affect their beliefs and practices. The research questions for this study are: 1. Do induction programs make a difference in the retention of secondary science teachers during their fourth and fifth year?2. What characterizations can be made about teachers who persist, their performance, and the assistance they receive?3. How do beginning science teachers develop over their first five years? How do induction programs contribute to this development?Data collection includes 8 interviews and 2 classroom observations of each teacher. The CETP-COP and Oregon Teacher Observation Protocol are used for classroom observations. Quantitative data analysis utilizes ANOVAs and HLM, to be followed by a qualitative analysis exploring the findings. The research team is based at Arizona State University and includes Dr. Luft, Dr. Marilyn Thompson, five graduate students and one undergraduate student. The products will include papers submitted to professional journals, postings to the Arizona Science Coordinators Association listserv, and direct dissemination to school administrators and local meetings. The impacts will be increased understanding of induction programs, what they achieve and what characteristics are effective. This will help policy makers and administrators modify the programs for increased effectiveness. Given the high rate of teachers leaving the profession during the first five years and the popularity of induction programs, the primary impact would be increased retention of quality teachers.