Content construction: How content becomes curriculum in secondary science classrooms

Abstract

This study investigated the factors that influence two secondary teachers' planning and teaching when incorporating newly acquired genetics content into their existing curriculum. Data included transcriptions of six audio taped interviews, field notes from two summer content courses and eight classroom observations, classroom documents such as work sheets, and content and pedagogical diagrams completed prior to and immediately following the two summer content courses. Data were analyzed and used to construct three cases: the case of content, the case of Natalie, and the case of June. The cases were combined for additional analysis. The cross case analysis aided in the identification of influential factors and the development of a model of secondary school curriculum influences. Factors found to influence teachers as they incorporate new content into their teaching can be divided into internal and external factors. Internal factors include: the teachers' past experiences with science, personal content knowledge, confidence, and beliefs about science, learning and science teaching. External factors include: students' abilities, time constraints, and physical classroom limitations. The findings suggest that the teachers' previous content knowledge and beliefs have the greatest impact in determining the new content a teacher will incorporate into her existing curriculum.