Teacher Professional Development to Improve the Science and Literacy Achievement of English Language Learners

Bibliographic Data

ID5827642
AuthorsJuliet E Hart (William & Mary), Okhwa Lee (0000-0003-3551-1583, University of Miami)
Year2003
Volume27
Issue3
Pages475-501
Publication date2003-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueBilingual Research Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1523-5882 • E-ISSN: 1523-5890
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/15235882.2003.10162604
OpenAlexW2172419552
LanguageEN
Citations received22
References cited30

This paper describes the results of a teacher professional development intervention aimed at enabling teachers to promote science and literacy achievement for culturally and linguistically diverse elementary students. This paper has two objectives: (a) to examine teachers' initial beliefs and practices about teaching English language and literacy in science and (b) to examine the impact of the intervention on teachers' beliefs and practices. The research involved 53 third- and fourth-grade teachers at six elementary schools in a large school district with a highly diverse student population. The results of these first-year professional development efforts, which form part of a 3-year longitudinal design, indicate that at the end of the year, teachers expressed more elaborate and coherent conceptions of literacy in science instruction. In addition, they provided more effective linguistic scaffolding in an effort to enhance students' understanding of science concepts. The results also suggest that teachers require continuing support in the form of professional development activities in order to implement and maintain reform-oriented practices that promote the science and literacy achievement of culturally and linguistically diverse students

Faculty Development · Scientific Literacy · Educational Strategies and Epistemologies · Reading and Literacy Development · Science Education and Pedagogy

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub