Comparing the Effects of Two Versions of Professional Development on Science Curriculum Implementation and Scaling-Up Session

Introduction and Overview Paul R. Brandon Curriculum Research & Development Group University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Project Purpose A randomized study of the effects of variations in professional development (PD) on –program implementation –student achievement –scale-up First phase (ending 2/28/06) to prepare for five-year second phase (if funded)

FAST The project compares two versions of teachers’ PD for Foundational Approaches in Science Teaching (FAST). –An award-winning middle-school inquiry- based science program –Shown to positively affect achievement and other student outcomes

Phase-I Project Tasks Prepare the 5-day PD institute with electronic resource and on-line course Prepare instruments for the second phase: –Teacher questionnaire –Teacher log –Observation procedures –Student assessments

Focus on Span of PD Traditionally, FAST PD is delivered in a 10-day institute. We will compare it with an alternative 5- day institute followed by an online course, with an electronic multimedia resource.

Phase-II Hypothesis The 5-day inquiry-based science training institute, followed by an on-line university-credit course with computer-based multimedia, will have more favorable outcomes than a 10-day institute without the follow-up university course.

Examining the effects of PD on: levels of classroom implementation intensiveness and extensiveness of long- term use of inquiry-based science (i.e., scale-up) levels of student achievement

Experimental Design Randomized cluster sample, with schools (N = 80) as clusters One teacher per school Even if attrition is 25%, statistical power will be.80.

Merit of the Study Addresses at least five deficits in the literature: –Few studies on effects of PD time span –Few studies about using technology in PD –Few randomized studies –Few studies of the effects of PD on student learning –Few, if any studies, of inquiry science PD

Order of Presentations Gray, Nguyen, & Speitel: Description of PD Brandon: Log and questionnaire development and questionnaire validation Taum: Observation guide development Ayala: Student assessment development Lawton: Comparison of early effects of the two versions of PD