Science Literature Review: Professional Development 2
Science Literature Review: Professional Development
“Effective Characteristics of Professional Development Programs for Science and
Technology Education” shows the importance of professional development in the disciplines of
science and technology. The article explains that over time science and technology have become
increasingly important since we live in a society that is constantly changing, especially with the
advances in science and technology. “Moreover, science education is seen as a crucial aspect of
our contemporary culture, and of that culture, all students should have at least some rudimentary
understanding” (Hubers, 2020). Professional development is needed to support teachers in
teaching science and technology so that the students will be motivated to pursue careers in
science-related fields. The author states that there aren't enough students pursuing careers in
science, and that is something that needs to change considerably. Even with the known
importance of science, studies have shown that teachers believe that they are not equipped with
the skills needed to teach the material to students. “Therefore, teachers’ professional
development is seen as a crucial step in order to implement and sustain science and technology
education” (Hubers, 2020).
“The primary goal of science education is that students learn not only about how science
works but also about the explanations of the material world that science offers” (Hubers, 2020).
The rest of the article explores multiple professional development programmes that can be useful
in science education. The four studies that were included are: Integrating language education
with science and technology education, stimulating student citizenship in relation to science and
technology issues, Developing a career counselling programme with an emphasis on science and
technology, and student talent development via science and technology. These were chosen as
they were designed with the help of investigators that held a degree in psychology or an
Science Literature Review: Professional Development 3
educational related field. “It was assumed that such programmes would give us the best idea of
whether and how the characteristics of effective professional development programmes are being
implemented. In addition, multiple schools were working with these programmes( Hubers,
2020).
The study showed the effectiveness of each professional development progamme. While
the results of all the programmes have not been released yet, the fourth programme, student
talent development via science and technology had a successful outcome. “The programme led to
a significant increase in teachers’ positive attitudes towards science and technology education”
(Hubers, 2020). The study then continues to break down nine characteristics of content. These
included focus, activities, collaboration, coherence of content, duration, coherence of context,
organizational factors, and individual factors. Focus was one of the main components when
being successful in professional development by making sure that the teacher’s pedagogical
content knowledge was focused on. “Focusing exclusively on content knowledge is likely to
have less effect on student learning” (Hubers, 2020). The study showed that there is still quite
some room for growth and improvement in professional development. If these improvements can
be made the teaching and motivation of students in science education will improve.
Reflection
Upon reflecting on the article, it is proven that professional development is needed not
only in science education but also all other subjects in order to be truly successful in teaching the
material. What I found to be most insightful was the survey of the four different methods of
professional development as they were setup for multiple different teaching styles. The study
showed that there are still points that need to be addressed in the development of professional
development in science education. The use of activities characteristic allowed for thought no
Science Literature Review: Professional Development 4
how the study can be implemented in a classroom. “Various activities can be used, including:
receiving feedback, observing expert teachers, being observed by other teachers, practicing new
ways of teaching, discussing elements of the change with others and reviewing student work”
(Hubers, 2020). This allows for collaboration between other elementary teachers to gain insight
into alternative ways of teaching. The focus characteristic allows the educator the opportunity to
design the content. Creating lessons that makes sure the standards are being met which allows
the teacher to measure the students' progress. This can also include benchmarks and standardized
testing such as the Standards of Learning (SOL’s).
The data driven results are apparent in the article to show the importance of professional
development. It’s one of the many steps that can be taken to support a teacher and make sure that
areas such as science are given the proper guidance and preparation needed to create tomorrows
future scientists. Science is a critical aspect of our future and the training of educators to teach
science needs to be just as critical.
Science Literature Review: Professional Development 5
References
Hubers, M. D., Endedijk, M. D., & Van Veen, K. (2020). Effective characteristics of
professional development programs for science and technology education. Professional
Development in Education, , 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2020.1752289
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