Collaborative Research: Learning to observe: Unpacking teachers development of expertise in scientific observation

合作研究：学习观察：教师科学观察专业知识的发展

• 批准号: 2201764
• 负责人: Lauren Barth-Cohen
• 金额: $ 59.96万
• 依托单位: University of Utah
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2201764&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Learning; observe; Unpacking

Scientific observation is a ubiquitous discipline-specific skill that has been overlooked in contemporary science instruction. Instructional materials often treat scientific observation as a simple skill or a minor pedagogical challenge to be overcome. For secondary science teachers, challenges compound as they themselves are often emergent learners of this skill. Furthermore, the field has yet to develop explanatory frameworks for the development of expertise in observation. Existing research using disparate theoretical frameworks has offered only an incomplete picture of the development of this essential skill. To address these issues, this research will study how teachers develop their observational skills in a disciplinary context, and to examine how these skills are shaped by their knowledge systems, social interactions, and the cultural contexts in which they are practiced. Results will advance the field through generating knowledge about how learners develop observational skills and an explanatory framework to foster these skills. By focusing on the cognitive, interactional, and cultural dimensions of learning to observe, the instructional paths to be identified to support scientific observation will inherently attend to equity issues that emerge in group learning. The resulting shift in our collective understanding of scientific observation will improve K-12 science instructional materials and teacher professional development. The goal of this research study is to deepen research-based knowledge about how expertise in scientific observation develops as a multidimensional skill. To achieve this goal, the researchers will design and implement high quality science professional learning experiences (PLEs) that forefront scientific observation as a learning opportunity in a discipline where observation is of utmost importance and where secondary teachers typically have little training: field geology. This study will unpack how secondary science teachers learn to generate scientific observations by using a novel approach that integrates three complementary theoretical frameworks: cognitive, interactional, and cultural dimensions of learning. The researchers will analyze teacher learning in two rounds of a year-long PLEs. The PLEs will be designed to enable teachers to build understanding of the geologic record using a three-dimensional (3D) approach that foregrounds field-based scientific observation. Following a semester of virtual instruction and a week-long field trip, teachers will apply their newfound skills to develop field-based experiences for their science students. The structure of the PLEs will enable researchers to use three theoretical frameworks to analyze how teachers’ developing expertise in scientific observation relies on their1) knowledge systems, 2) social interactions, and 3) cultural contexts and backgrounds. Applying these theoretical frameworks to produce complementary case studies from a single dataset and using mixed-methods to integrate findings will produce a holistic picture of the multidimensional nature of the development of expertise in scientific observation. Results will advance our understanding of scientific observation and its role in 3D science learning by offering a new, research-based framework to explain learning and expertise development within this important but understudied skill.This project is supported by NSF's EHR Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad and enduring: STEM learning and STEM learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development. The program supports the accumulation of robust evidence to inform efforts to understand, build theory to explain, and suggest intervention and innovations to address persistent challenges in education.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

科学观察是一种普遍存在的学科特定技能，但在当代科学教学中却被忽视了。教学材料通常将科学观察视为一项简单的技能或需要克服的较小的教学挑战。对于中学科学教师来说，挑战更加复杂，因为他们自己往往是这项技能的新兴学习者。此外，该领域尚未制定用于发展观测专业知识的解释框架。现有的研究使用不同的理论框架，仅提供了这一基本技能发展的不完整图景。为了解决这些问题，本研究将研究教师如何在学科背景下发展观察技能，并研究这些技能如何受到他们的知识体系、社会互动和实践文化背景的影响。结果将通过生成有关学习者如何发展观察技能的知识以及培养这些技能的解释框架来推动该领域的发展。 通过关注学习观察的认知、互动和文化维度，为支持科学观察而确定的教学路径将从本质上关注小组学习中出现的公平问题。由此产生的我们对科学观察的集体理解的转变将改善 K-12 科学教材和教师专业发展。这项研究的目标是加深关于科学观察专业知识如何发展为多维技能的研究知识。为了实现这一目标，研究人员将设计和实施高质量的科学专业学习体验（PLE），将科学观察作为学习机会，在观察至关重要且中学教师通常缺乏培训的学科中：野外地质学。 这项研究将揭示中学科学教师如何通过使用一种新颖的方法来学习产生科学观察，该方法整合了三个互补的理论框架：学习的认知、互动和文化维度。研究人员将在为期一年的两轮 PLE 中分析教师的学习情况。 PLE 的设计目的是使教师能够使用三维 (3D) 方法加深对地质记录的理解，这种方法突出了基于现场的科学观察。经过一个学期的虚拟教学和为期一周的实地考察后，教师将运用他们新发现的技能为理科学生开发实地经验。 PLE 的结构将使研究人员能够使用三个理论框架来分析教师在科学观察方面发展专业知识如何依赖于他们的 1) 知识系统、2) 社会互动和 3) 文化背景和背景。应用这些理论框架从单个数据集生成补充案例研究，并使用混合方法整合研究结果，将产生科学观察专业知识发展的多维性质的整体图景。结果将通过提供一个新的、基于研究的框架来解释这一重要但尚未充分研究的技能中的学习和专业知识发展，从而增进我们对科学观察及其在 3D 科学学习中的作用的理解。该项目得到了 NSF 的 EHR 核心研究 (ECR) 计划的支持。 ECR 项目强调基础 STEM 教育研究，产生该领域的基础知识。投资针对重要、广泛和持久的关键领域：STEM 学习和 STEM 学习环境、扩大 STEM 参与以及 STEM 劳动力发展。该计划支持积累强有力的证据，为理解、建立解释理论以及提出干预和创新建议以解决教育中持续存在的挑战提供信息。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。