Date of Award

8-2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Legacy Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Committee Member

Dr. Jeff C. Marshall, Committee Chair

Committee Member

Dr. Michelle Cook

Committee Member

Dr. Eric McKibben

Committee Member

Dr. Penelope Vargas

Abstract

Since the mid 1900’s, authors of science reform documents have advocated for teachers to engage in inquiry-based instruction. However, most science teachers, even highly qualified teachers, are not enacting teaching practices that align with what constitutes as proficient inquiry-based instruction. Currently, new science reform documents, in the form of The Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), are asking teachers and students to engage in even more rigorous and challenging teaching and learning. Inquiry-based instruction is once again an advocated strategy for accomplishing the high expectations set forth in both documents. Many science teachers are unfamiliar with how to facilitate this type of teaching and learning. This can result in teachers experiencing negative emotional episodes as they struggle to facilitate inquiry-based instruction. Unchecked, these emotional episodes have the potential to adversely alter teacher behavior which might subsequently undermine the goals stated in the most current reform documents. Therefore, it is critical that teachers’ emotions and how they manage their emotions be further researched. This study sought to design an instrument that assesses how science teachers appraise and emotionally respond to challenging situations that can occur when facilitating inquiry lessons. In order to accomplish this, a two phase exploratory sequential mixed methods instrument design and refinement process occurred. This process resulted in a preliminary version of the Teachers’ Emotions, Appraisals, and Coping Habits when Facilitating Inquiry-based Instruction (TEACH-FIBI) instrument for science education. Results show that TEACH-FIBI reliably and validly assesses seven appraisals and that it can also reliably assess the coping habits of the participating teachers. Previous research supports the inter-measurement correlations which speaks to the construct validity of the TEACH-FIBI. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed and future steps to progress the TEACH-FIBI are delineated.

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.