What Science Teachers Notice: The Impact of an Online Graduate Program on Middle School Science Teachers’ Noticing

Abstract

What teachers notice is important because it can impact their curricular decisions. As teachers acquire experience over time, they are more able to notice and interpret critical facets of effective science instruction. This qualitative study shares how a two-year online master’s degree program impacted what middle school science teachers noticed during observations of a video of instruction. Constant comparative method was used to generate categories of what teachers noticed at the start of the two-year program, after the first year, and at the end of the two-year program. The results were categorized as; (1) context, (2) classroom management, (3) students, and (4) teacher. Data analysis found that, in general, what teachers noticed did not change over the two-year period. For teachers with six or more years of experience, they noticed more regarding student-centered instruction and lesson format (inquiry) over time.