Research on science teaching is limited by the lack of shared images of excellent science teaching looks like. Despite wide consensus that science education research should help teachers teach in ways consistent with reform documents, researchers vary widely in their interpretation of what counts as inquiry in the classroom. This lack of a shared "words-to-images" language makes findings difficult to interpret because similar words are used but they are not anchored to similar images. In addition, because each research project develops its own analysis protocols and coding schemes, cross-project comparisons are difficult. Finally, the lack of a shared language makes it difficult to communicate research results to practitioners, policymakers, and the general public. This study proposes a unique approach to addressing a critical problem in research on science teaching to break down the "silo" approach to science education research and demonstrate the feasibility of developing consensus analytical tools and language that can be used in a wide variety of investigations. Use of these common tools across studies will improve the quality and impact of science education research and improve the communication of research to practice.
Video technology, including online accessibility, provides the opportunity to improve science education research quality by developing a shared words-to-images language and analytical tool. Videotapes of science teaching enable researchers to conduct more rigorous, detailed, and revealing analyses of science teaching, and collaborative viewing of lesson video challenges researchers to sharpen definitions and descriptions. In addition, several large-scale studies of science teaching, including the TIMSS video study, provide a strong foundation for the proposed consensus-building.
This project will engage diverse science educators in developing a consensus image-based language for describing 5-10 key aspects of science teaching. This language,accompanied by video images, will be described in a Guide for Video Analysis of Science Teaching. The effectiveness of the guide in helping diverse science educators to code video examples reliably will be tested in pilot and field test studies.
A literature review of current methods and tools will start the collaborative process. Across a 2-year period, the research team will work with an Expert Panel of 10 leading science educators representing the full range of perspectives in the science education community to: a) select key features of science teaching, b) develop a consensus language for describing the selected lesson features in lesson videos, and c) develop and revise a coding manual to guide analysis of the selected features in lesson videos. The video analysis manual and video examples will go through two rounds of testing and revision using an online, password-protected website: 1) a pilot test involving a diverse group of 25 leading science educators, and 2) a national field test involving 50 participants who reflect the diversity of the science education community. These tests will assess the effectiveness of the manual and video examples in helping diverse members of the science education community develop a shared words-to-images language.
