See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/314259251

Recent Research in Science Teaching and Learning

Article in CBE—Life Sciences Education · March 2009

CITATION READS
1 219

1 author:

Erin L Dolan
University of Georgia
120 PUBLICATIONS 5,460 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Erin L Dolan on 19 October 2017.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Feature
Current Insights

Recent Research in Science Teaching and Learning

Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061

This feature is designed to point CBE—Life Sciences Education research extensive university, etc.). In addition to character-
readers to current articles of interest in life sciences educa- izing instructors’ beliefs about inquiry, the investigators
tion as well as more general and noteworthy publications in identified their perceptions of the constraints to implement-
education research. URLs are provided for the full text of ing inquiry-based instruction, including factors related to
open access articles and for the abstracts of articles not freely logistics (i.e., time, class size, physical facilities) and students
available. To draw attention to a range of knowledge about (i.e., their motivation, science knowledge, math ability, lab-
science education and highlight well-studied topics in sci- oratory skills). Notably, faculty in this study held “all-or-
ence teaching and learning, Current Insights alternates be- nothing” views of inquiry-based instruction such that they
tween featuring a variety of current literature and a number expected students to “take charge of all phases of an inves-
of articles on a particular theme. This themed issue focuses tigation” rather than assuming varying levels of responsibil-
on undergraduate science education reform by highlighting ity at different points during an investigation. For example,
research on barriers to reform, recommendations for miti- students could be given an experimental design or dataset
gating or surmounting these barriers, and cases where bar- (i.e., less responsibility) that they then would use to build
riers have been overcome. The primary thrust of these arti- explanations that they support with evidence from the data-
cles is the study of the successes and challenges of adopting set (i.e., more responsibility). The investigators recommend
inquiry-based instructional strategies. Although questions faculty development that encourages a range of inquiry-
surround the idea of inquiry (Anderson, 2000), one of the based instruction, from more structured to more open or full
most widely cited definitions is offered in the National Sci- inquiry. Resources that describe the range of classroom in-
ence Education Standards: quiry include Buck et al. (2008) and NRC (2000).
“Scientific inquiry refers to the diverse ways in which 2. Kahveci, A., Gilmer, P. J., and Southerland, S. A. (2008).
scientists study the natural world and propose explana- Understanding chemistry professors’ use of educational
tions based on the evidence derived from their work. technologies: an activity theoretical approach. Int. J. Sci.
Inquiry also refers to the activities of students in which Educ. 30, 325–351.
they develop knowledge and understanding of scientific [Not open access. Abstract: www.informaworld.com/
ideas, as well as an understanding of how scientists study smpp/content⬃content⫽a779512973]
the natural world. ”(National Research Council [NRC],
1996, p. 23) As Kahveci and colleagues note, universities expend signif-
icant resources to equip classrooms with technology with
1. Brown, P. L., Abell, S. K., Demir A., and Schmidt, F .J. the aim of improving undergraduate learning, with little
(2006). College science teachers’ views of classroom in- empirical evidence regarding how technology is used in
quiry. Sci. Educ. 90, 784 – 802. teaching practice. In this study, the investigators aim to
[Not open access. Abstract: www3.interscience.wiley. understand the ways in which faculty use technology to
com/journal/112621192/abstract] teach undergraduate chemistry by taking a cultural-histori-
cal activity theory approach. In other words, they repre-
In this phenomenographic study (i.e., research conducted to sented chemistry education as an interacting system of “sub-
understand participating individuals’ conceptions of a phe- jects” (i.e., individual faculty) and their “community” (i.e.,
nomenon), Brown and colleagues aim to understand under- department, faculty in other departments interested in
graduate science faculty’s views of inquiry-based instruc- chemistry learning, etc.), who direct their activities toward
tion. The participant pool was selected purposefully to span an “object” (i.e., the teaching of chemistry) that leads to an
disciplines (e.g., biology, chemistry, geology, etc.) and insti- “outcome” (i.e., chemistry learning). This approach enabled
tutions (e.g., two-year college, private liberal arts college, Kahveci and colleagues to develop hypotheses about the
relationships among components of the system, including
DOI: 10.1187/cbe.08 –12– 0075 where there might be “contradictions.” For example, analy-
Address correspondence to: Erin Dolan (edolan@vt.edu). sis of instructor interviews, course handouts, related web-

© 2009 by The American Society for Cell Biology 9

Downloaded from http://www.lifescied.org/ by guest on October 19, 2017

sites, exams, and student work revealed a contradiction rather than the factoids.” The article includes a detailed
between one instructor’s interest in using technology in the description of the enactment of inquiry-based instruction
classroom and his department’s uneven support for doing that nicely illustrates how it is achievable in the college
so. Other contradictions included disconnects between the classroom.
culture of teaching chemistry in the department and instruc- 5. Silverthorn, D. U., Thorn, P. M., and Svinicki, M. D.
tional approaches supported by chemistry education re- (2006). It’s difficult to change the way we teach: lessons
search and between the “rules” of the system (e.g., estab- from the Integrative Themes in Physiology curriculum
lishing large class sizes, poor design of classrooms, etc.) and module project. Adv. Physiol. Educ. 30, 204 –214.
the teaching and learning of chemistry (the object).
[Open access: http://advan.physiology.org/cgi/content/
3. Henderson, C., and Dancy, M. H. (2007). Barriers to the full/30/4/204]
use of research-based instructional strategies: the influ-
ence of both individual and situational characteristics. Silverthorn and colleagues describe the development and
Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 3 (020102), 1–14. study of “active learning” physiology curricula and profes-
sional development designed to address two factors thought
[Open access: http://prst-per.aps.org/pdf/PRSTPER/ to impede undergraduate science education reform: instruc-
v3/i2/e020102] tor knowledge about teaching methods and lack of time to
In this exploratory study, Henderson and Dancy aim to develop curricula. Based on results gathered using a class-
identify the factors that contribute to the failure of under- room observation rubric, they found that faculty who used
graduate physics faculty to adopt research-based instruc- the active-learning curricula were more likely to change
tional materials and practices. Of the five faculty whose their instructional practices than those who did not, regard-
interview data were analyzed, all appeared to practice more less of their participation in professional development. In
traditional instructional approaches while holding more al- the course of conducting the research, the investigators de-
ternative conceptions of teaching. For example, all of the termined that faculty attrition from the program approached
instructors noted that it was valuable for students to learn to 50%. This outcome prompted them to conduct an interview-
solve problems and that students best demonstrate their based evaluation to identify contributing factors that they
problem-solving skills by solving novel problems. Yet, none categorized as institutional, departmental, personal, and
of the instructors taught problem-solving skills or offered project design obstacles. See also Silverthorne (2006).
opportunities for students to solve novel problems. The I invite readers to suggest current themes or articles of
instructors in this study attributed this disconnect to a num- interest in life science education as well as influential papers
ber of situational barriers, including student resistance, de- published in the more distant past or in the broader field of
partmental norms, and time constraints. The investigators education research to be featured in Current Insights. Please
propose that situational constraints rather than instructor send any suggestions to: Erin Dolan (edolan@vt.edu).
knowledge or beliefs are the dominant factor in preventing
widespread undergraduate physics education reform. They
recommend greater focus on understanding and modifying REFERENCES
situational barriers rather than changing the conceptions of Anderson, R. D. (2000). Reforming science teaching: what research
individual faculty. See also Henderson and Dancy (2008). says about inquiry. J. Sci. Teach. Educ. 13, 1–12.
4. Park Rogers, M. A., and Abell, S. K. (2008). The design, Buck, L. B., Bretz, S. L., and Towns, M. H. (2008). Characterizing the
enactment, and experience of inquiry-based instruction in level of inquiry in the undergraduate laboratory. J. Coll. Sci. Teach.
undergraduate science education: a case study. Sci. Educ. 38, 52–58.
92, 591– 607. Henderson, C., and Dancy, M. H. (2008). Physics faculty and educational
[Not open access. Abstract: www3.interscience.wiley. com/ researchers: divergent expectations as barriers to the diffusion of innova-
tions. Amer. J. Phys. 76, 79–91. http://scitation.aip.org/journals/
journal/117884350/abstract] doc/AJPIAS-ft/vol_76/iss_1/79_1.html (accessed 16 December 2008).
Park Rogers and Abell describe the design and practice of an National Research Council (1996). National Science Education Stan-
inquiry-based interdisciplinary science curriculum for non- dards, Washington, DC: National Academies Press. www. nap.
science majors to illustrate what inquiry looks like in an edu/openbook.php?isbn⫽0309053269 (accessed 8 January 2009).
undergraduate classroom and characterize students’ re- NRC (2000). Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards.
sponses to the experience. Data sources included field notes Washington, DC: National Academies Press, p. 29. http://www.
from classroom observations, instructor and student inter- nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id⫽9596&page⫽29 (accessed 8 Janu-
views, and course materials (e.g., syllabus, laboratory man- ary 2009).
ual, quizzes). Students noted that the unique aspects of the Silverthorn, D.U. (2006). Teaching and learning in the interactive class-
course were its emphasis on how science is done and the room. Adv. Physiol. Educ. 30, 135–140. http://advan.physiology.org/
social nature of learning as well as its focus on “big ideas cgi/content/full/30/4/135 (accessed 8 January 2009).

10 CBE—Life Sciences Education

Downloaded from http://www.lifescied.org/ by guest on October 19, 2017