Creating Research Experience for Science Teachers: Preparing Scholars to Teach Through Inquiry

This project aims to address the national need of preparing high-quality science teachers. Most teachers do not have opportunities to engage in authentic science research experiences. This makes it challenging for them to teach using science practices.

This project will engage prospective science teachers in year-long independent research experiences paired with professional development seminars on scientific research and evidence-based teaching practices. Seminars will develop participants' understanding of the nature of science and scientific inquiry and will support Scholars in adapting their research experiences into K-12 inquiry-based lessons.

Research experiences can enhance the preparation of prospective science teachers, ultimately benefiting their future K-12 students and contributing to a more scientifically literate society.

This project at Eastern Washington University will support 20 future science teachers over five years. Participants will include undergraduate students who are majoring in biology, chemistry, geoscience, or physics and earning a Washington State teaching endorsement. This project will engage pre-service teachers in science research experiences, seminars, and activities to 1) Increase Scholars' understanding of the nature of science and scientific inquiry, 2) Increase Scholars' self-efficacy in conducting scientific research, and 3) Increase Scholars' self-efficacy in teaching using authentic research experiences.

These outcomes are expected to better prepare Scholars to engage their K-12 students in science practices, increase their future students' success in science, and improve science teacher preparation programs at EWU through reform efforts to include research experiences in education program curricula. The project will examine how high-intensity, year-long research experiences impact pre-service teachers' understanding of the nature of science and scientific inquiry and their self-efficacy to conduct scientific research and teach using inquiry to inform teacher preparation programs.

This Research Experiences in STEM Settings (RESS) project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce) and in part by funds from Micron Foundation. The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts.

It also supports research on the effectiveness and retention of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.

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.