Examining the Role of District Science Coordinator Professional Learning in Supporting and Retaining Science Teachers

Sponsor
National Science Foundation
Robert Noyce Scholarship Program
$999,995
Principal investigator
Brooke Whitworth
Associate professor, Clemson University
Co-principal investigators
Julie Luft
Athletic Association Professor of Science Education
Distinguished Research Professor
Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education
Karen High
Professor, Clemson University
Active since
October 2022

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national need of supporting and retaining science teachers by exploring how the professional learning (PL) of district science coordinators (DSCs) impacts, if at all, the effectiveness and retention of new science teachers in high-need schools. There are a variety of factors influencing why new teachers stay or leave teaching; one factor not investigated is the role of DSCs in supporting teachers.

With well-prepared DSCs, new science teachers can be better supported to teach and stay in high-need settings with students who often do not have positive or rigorous experiences in science. Thus, in time, this project could contribute to improved success of students in science, translating into an increase in the STEM talent pool. This study is designed to generate new knowledge about how DSCs provide support for and aid in the effectiveness and retention of new teachers in high-need schools.

This project at Clemson University and the University of Georgia partners with the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA) and districts across the nation. The project’s goal is to determine how different levels of PL among DSCs impacts new teachers in their first five years of teaching. The study aims to examine the PL of DSCs in terms of both required professional development and free-choice learning. The latter refers to PL that is chosen by DSCs, such as reading journal articles, watching educational videos, visiting museums and parks, and attending professional conferences.

The project intends to gather and analyze qualitative and quantitative data to understand how the PL of a DSC contributes to the effectiveness and retention of new science teachers. Among the analytic approaches to be used are a two-cycle coding process to examine the impact of PL on DSCs and the subsequent impact on teachers, with the first cycle using holistic coding and the second using organization or hierarchical outlining. Another analytic approach to be used is multiple linear regression modeling regarding the relationship between variables and to support explanation of observed variance. These are just two of 16 analytic approaches to be used to examine the two project research questions.

The findings from this project are expected to contribute to the understanding of the selection, quantity, and quality of PL of DSCs as well as if there is any impact on new teachers associated with the PL of the DSCs. This project builds upon current synergies across the country to cultivate teacher leadership—but with a focus on DSCs—and could suggest what additional studies are needed in this area. The results are to be shared with a wide audience, through traditional and novel formats, including usage of well-established social media outlets used by the PIs and presentation of findings at state and regional levels targeted to reach administrators with responsibility for the hiring and support of DSCs. This will provide an opportunity for others to benefit from and build upon this project’s findings to further improve K-12 STEM education.

This Track 4: Noyce Research project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). 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.