Constructivist Beliefs About the Science Classroom Learning Environment: Perspectives From Teachers, Administrators, Parents, Community Members, and Students

School Science and Mathematics, Dec 2003 by Haney, Jodi J, Lumpe, Andrew T, Czerniak, Charlene M

This study examines the perceptions of teachers, administrators, parents, community members, and high school students about the science learning environment. The participants were active members of a grant project aimed at creating community action teams. Varrella and Burry-Stock's (1997) Beliefs About Learning Environments (BALE) Instrument was used as a theoretical model for constructivist belief identification and comparison. Two primary questions were explored: (a) What are the beliefs of the teachers and other school community members about the science learning environment? and (b) How do these belief structures compare? Analysis of the BALE responses indicated that, although beliefs varied greatly, the administrators and teachers possessed the most constructivist beliefs. The authors suggest that identifying the beliefs of teachers, as well as those of the entire school community, is crucial. If the school community does not believe in (or understand) the recommendations, the chance for long-lasting reform is improbable.

Constructivism is a philosophy that, put simply, states that students construct understanding for themselves (Lowery, 1997). Constructivist views about learning have gained acceptance among educators as a viable framework for understanding learning and developing models of effective teaching. As such, constructivism has become an intricate aspect of current educational reform and is included in many of the national science education reform recommendations; namely, the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council [NRC], 1996) and Project 2061 : Science for all Americans (Rutherford & Ahlgren, 1993). Moreover, in 1994, the Biological Science Curriculum Study (BSCS) organization listed constructivism as one of the primary strands guiding contemporary science reform.

Taylor, Fraser, and White's (1994) and Aldridge, Fraser, Taylor, and Chen's (2000) definition of constructivist teaching includes five components that help describe an effective classroom learning environment (scientific uncertainty, studentnegotiation, shared control, critical voice, and personal relevance). Teachers who believe and enact these tenets of constructivism would present scientific knowledge as arising from human experience and values, evolving and insecure, and culturally and socially determined. They would let students plan and justify their ideas, examine the ideas of other students, and reflect upon the viability of their own ideas, as well as invite students to share control of designing and managing activities, assessments, and classroom norms. Students would feel free to question the teacher's pedagogical plans or methods and express concern about things that may hinder their learning. Finally, the science they taught would make use of students' everyday experiences, and classroom activities would be meaningfully related to students' lives.

In contrast, Armstrong ( 1994) revealed, "For most Americans, the word classroom conjures up an image of students sitting in neat rows of desks facing the front of the room, where a teacher either sits at a large desk correcting papers or stands near a blackboard lecturing students" (p. 86). This view of classrooms permeates many people's beliefs about teaching and learning. Therefore, teachers and administrators trying to implement constructivist practices may find that parents and community members perceive teaching methods based on constructivist philosophy as incongruent with their own images or beliefs regarding effective classroom instruction. In this event, a misalignment of educational goals is likely, and community support for the construetivist philosophies is impeded.

Pajares (1992) synthesized findings on beliefs and found that beliefs are formed early, are acquired through cultural transmission, and are self-perpetuated. Therefore, beliefs about classrooms are formed as early as preschool or kindergarten. Some teachers may perpetuate these views, and parents, community members, and students may solicit traditional teaching techniques that fit with their views of classrooms. Pajares also found that beliefs formed early are more difficult to change. Changes in adulthood are rare. It could be assumed that beliefs about classrooms would be included in this category. They would be difficult to change. Finally, Pajares noted that beliefs (personal philosophies and outlooks) strongly influence perception (understanding and awareness) of phenomena. Therefore, teachers implementing constructivist techniques may face resistance from others who perceive effective teaching differently.

Several educators studying school reform support the notion that teacher beliefs are precursors to change and that the teacher is the crucial change agent in paving the way to reform (Bybee, 1993; Cuban, 1990; Fullan& Miles, 1992;Tobin,Tippins,&Gallard, 1994). However, those implementing reform efforts often ignore teacher beliefs. Additionally, Haney, Czerniak, and Lumpe (1996) reported that teachers feel isolated in their efforts to implement science recommendations. They do not believe that the school community supports them in reform implementation. Therefore, investigations examining the belief structures of both teachers and other members of the school community are needed to guide the existent science reform efforts. This study sought to examine the constructivist belief structures of teachers, administrators, parents, community members, and students.