Strengthening science education in basic education through a professional development program on participatory action research for science teachers

Bibliographic Data

ID22204902
AuthorsSylvester Tan Cortes (0000-0002-2919-8263, Cebu Technological University, corresponding author), Anne S Lorca (0000-0003-0960-0363, Cebu Technological University), Hedeliza Arcenal Pineda (0000-0002-4680-494X, Cebu Technological University), Ryan Tubog (Cebu Technological University), Aurelio Vilbar, Aurelio P Vilbar (0000-0002-2241-674X, University of the Philippines Cebu)
Year2024
Volume10
Pages101194
Publication date2024-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Sciences & Humanities Open (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2590-2911 • E-ISSN: 2590-2911
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.101194
OpenAlexW4404126287
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited25

Science education empowers individuals with critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well as creativity which drive sustainable development, social progress, and economic growth. Unfortunately, the basic education science curriculum does not seem to prepare students to become scientifically literate for a number of reasons. Toward this vein, this calls for science teachers to be creative being at the forefront of implementing science education curriculum successfully. One mechanism to draw out their creativity is to mentor and engage them in participatory action research . Hence, a four-year professional development program for science teachers aimed at designing, implementing, and publishing participatory action research project was introduced to them by specialists from a higher education institution as their community extension project. The program consisted of mentoring on action research problem conceptualization until publication of teachers' project, continuous monitoring, and feedbacking to support their progress. Guskeys' (2000) five level evaluation model for professional development program effectiveness serves as the guiding framework for evaluation. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered from the participating science teachers of the school. It started with conducting an initial assessment of their action research skills as basis of the proposed professional development program on participatory action research. At the end of the program, the teachers disseminated their project in a reputable science education journal. The four-year professional development program resulted to a robust impact in all five levels of Guskey's evaluation model, namely: teachers' reactions, teachers' learning, organization support and change, teachers' use of new knowledge and skills, and student learning outcomes. The success of this program highlights the importance of sustained, collaborative, and research-oriented professional development program in form of action research mentoring. Moreover, the outcomes of the study suggest the need for a professional development program evaluation framework that will facilitate the evaluation of the program effectiveness

Action research · Citizen journalism · Engineering ethics · Medical education · Participatory action research · Pedagogy · Political science · Professional development · Science education · Sociology · Diverse Educational Innovations Studies · Engineering · Medicine · Science Education and Pedagogy · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

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