My research focuses on science education and science teacher development/preparation. My continuing research goal is to increase our understanding of and efforts in preparing current and future educators to teach science to an increasingly diverse student population. I continually confront the intersecting forces that shape the actual experiences of students. I integrate social science research and PK-16 school engagement in a manner that simultaneously satisfies rigorous research requirements and promotes educational improvement for all by preparing teachers for the complex realities of science and classrooms. My scholarship focuses on (1) PK-16 student populations traditionally under-served by science education, (2) teaching and teacher education, and (2) neglected epistemological assumptions in science teaching. My methodological approaches are pragmatic, participatory, and mixed (e.g., design-based and participatory action research). At the core of my various studies is a belief that teaching science in authentic, increasingly diverse social contexts has little resemblance to the objective and unproblematic teaching often assumed in teacher education/preparation initiatives. There is no universal remedy for the gaps in science achievement and STEM career pathways. Different prior understandings, learning styles, school environments, communities, and attitudes toward learning require different instructional approaches. Thus, science education initiatives aimed at reform must work with teachers to better understand their students, content, context, and the strengths and weaknesses of many instructional approaches.
Ph.D. - Kent State University, Kent, OH 1998
