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Abstract
The main purpose of this research study was to investigate and describe the instructional strategies and methodologies of 5th grade teachers of science whose student achievement test scores at a pass rate of 75% or higher for the past three years. Instructional practices that were common used in elementary science classrooms are categorized as instructional strategies and instructional methodologies. Instructional strategies can determine the approach that a teacher may take in order to achieve the planned learning objectives. Instructional methodologies are the types or categories of teaching techniques used to create learning environments and to specify the nature of the activity in which the teacher and student will be involved during the science lesson. While particular methods are often associated with certain instructional strategies, some methods may be found within a variety of strategies (Byers, 2009).This study investigated the instructional strategies and methodologies of three 5th grade teachers of science in effort to see which practices were used by these teachers that were most effective for high stakes testing. The methodological framework of this investigation was an explanatory single case study design (Leech, 2007). An extended cross-case analysis of the three individually collected case studies was conducted to investigate the similarities and differences amongst these cases. In terms of findings, all three participants had more similarities in common than differences. A common demographic characteristic amongst the three participants was that all three participants had at least 10 years of general teaching experience prior of participating in this study. All three participants earned graduate degrees during the post-service teaching experience, but were not directly relevant for teaching fifth grade science.In terms of implications, all three of the participants indicated their post-service teacher professional development experiences were important in their success as fifth grade teachers of science. Furthermore, the participants indicated the pedagogical support for diverse learners also made the greatest impact in the successes on high stakes assessments. Based on the frequency of use during classroom observations, it is recommended that Inquiry Centered Science and Problem-based Learning be used as the two main instructional strategies to educate post-service teachers. Traditional Direct Instruction and Scaffolding are recommended to be used as the primary instructional methodologies to educate post-service teachers.