From scientific practice to science classrooms: Impact of technological tools on the enactment of 'authentic' inquiry in high school science classrooms.

摘要

This study examined the complex layers and processes inherent to the development in scientific contexts, and the adoption for teaching in high school science classrooms, of two technological tools: Biology Student Workbench and ChemViz. Participants included key players along the path of development, transformation, and implementation including scientists (8), programmers and developers (4), researchers and teacher educators (4), classroom teachers (6), high school students (30). Data collection included two phases of in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and collected artifacts. Classroom enactments of the tools lacked elements of inquiry and were teacher-centered with prescribed convergent activities. Consequently, students were preoccupied with a focus on content and guided instructions. The "desired" and "actual" realizations of the tools fell on two extremes that reflected the disparity between scientists' and teachers' views on science, inquiry science teaching, and the related roles of the tools. The views of educators and programmers were more closely aligned with teachers' views than with the scientists. Research on the adoption of technological tools for classroom teachers should expand to examine the role of scientists, researchers, and teacher educators as compared to the current narrow focus on teacher knowledge, skills, beliefs, and practices.