Novice teacher action: Exploring secondary science teachers' actions through practical reasoning

A great deal is known about how students learn and how teachers teach, however, anyone who has ever been a teacher knows that the act of teaching is rarely predictable---what works for one group of students may not work for another. There are powerful strategies and detailed curricular guides to help teachers, but variation among individuals and situations cause teachers to employ these strategies and materials in ways that allow them to accommodate their specific classroom. This study examines novice teachers' reasoning about their classroom practice, including their intentions for instruction, and choices they make. The research questions driving this study were: (1) What instructional strategies and activities do novice physical science teachers enact in their science classroom? And (2) What is their reasoning for enacting particular instructional strategies and activities? .;Case studies of four beginning high school science teachers were constructed from observations of particular topics taught in a physical science course and from interviews during and after teaching of those topics. Analysis and interpretation of the data were conducted within a practical reasoning theoretical framework. Major understandings from this study were: (1) uncertainty demanded teachers to reason through actions; (2) context influences action; (3) the discipline of science is shaped for particular instructional circumstances; and (4) a "collegial other" provides more than support. Additionally, groundwork is laid to consider the process of becoming a reasoning practitioner for novice teachers in the secondary science classroom. This research informs our understanding of the complex nature of teaching and provides implications for teacher education.