Scholarship & Research
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Item Measuring elementary educators' understanding and readiness for implementing a new framework in science education(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2014) Nollmeyer, Gustave Evan; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Arthur W. BangertThe NRC's (2012) report, A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas, ushered in a new era of science education. It is unclear how prepared elementary educators are for the framework. This study sought to establish measures for assessing inservice educators' self-reported understanding of the new framework and readiness to implement the ideas in their science instruction. Designing and validating an instrument to assess these constructs followed procedures established in the literature. First, literature on science education was examined to identify themes that could be used in constructing instrument items. This item pool was examined and modified through expert review. Next, the modified instrument was piloted with a small sample, N = 13, of inservice educators. After final adjustments to the instrument, it was used in a large scale validation study. Inservice elementary educators from four states, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah participated in the validation study, N= 167. Since understanding and readiness were determined to assess separate constructs, the two were handled individually during statistical analyses. Exploratory analysis on both scales, understanding and readiness, revealed stable factor models that were further validated through confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency reliability of the scales were determined through Cronbach's Alpha. With solid statistical evidence, conclusions were drawn from the study. Each instrument could be used in similar contexts to measure elementary educators' understanding of or readiness to implement the new framework for science education. The unique factor structures of the two scales suggests important differences between understanding and readiness. These differences should inform professional development efforts.Item The integration of English language arts, science and other subjects : learning from elementary educators' knowledge and practice(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2013) Nollmeyer, Gustave Evan; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Lynn Kelting-Gibson.A cursory review of the literature reveals that integration is a difficult practice to define, yet elementary teachers are quick to speak positively of integration and many claim to integrate in their practice. If there is a lack of consensus about what integration means, what then are these teachers doing when they say that they integrate? Surprisingly, few researchers have taken the time to explore the descriptions and practices of elementary educators. This study investigated five cases in an effort to establish how teachers view the domain of subject area integration. Qualitative data was collected through interviews with the participants and observations of the integrated lessons they taught. The data revealed a healthy mix of commonalities within and differences between the teachers' descriptions and practices. These similarities and differences revealed a model of integration that goes beyond the linear continuums common in the literature. The conclusions of this study propose a model of the domain that consists of four variables. These variables can be used to describe with great detail an individual practice of integration and allow educators and administrators an opportunity to consider and plan for growth in the practice of subject area integration.