IMPLEMENTATION OF INQUIRY-BASED SCIENCE INSTRUCTION By Patricia Ann Ferrin Liberty

149 Pages·2017·1.83 MB·English

A QUALITATIVE PHENOMENOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
IMPLEMENTATION OF INQUIRY-BASED SCIENCE INSTRUCTION

By

Patricia Ann Ferrin
Liberty University

A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Education

Liberty University
2018
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A QUALITATIVE PHENOMENOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

IMPLEMENTATION OF INQUIRY-BASED SCIENCE INSTRUCTION

by Patricia Ann Ferrin

A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Education

Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA
2018

APPROVED BY:

Steven McDonald, MBA, Ed.D., Committee Chair

Elgen Hillman, Ph.D., Committee Member

Rebecca C. Bowman, Ed.D., Committee Member
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ABSTRACT

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenology study will be to explore curriculum
coordinators, teachers, and principals’ implementation of Inquiry-Based Instruction (IBI) in
Christian middle school science classes in the central Virginia area. IBI will be referred to as “a
teaching method that combines the curiosity of students and the scientific method to enhance the
development of critical thinking skills while learning science” (Warner & Myers, 2008, p. 3). A
qualitative phenomenology study will be made to consider the requirements and implementation
of IBI in the Christian middle schools as compared to the requirements and implementation of
IBI in the National Science Education Standard (NSES). Curriculum coordinators, teachers, and
principals, participated in this study from five Christian middle schools in the central Virginia
area. The guiding theories include John Dewey’s (1948) Constructivism, Lev Vygotsky’s (1998)
Social Constructivism, and William Glasser’s (2005) Choice Theory as they relate to the beliefs
curriculum coordinators, teachers, and principals have regarding the implementation of IBI. A
primary research question for this study is, “If research supports successful outcomes of IBI, then
how and why do Christian middle school science teachers (CMSST), principals, and curriculum
coordinators implement or not implement IBI?” Interviews, classroom observations, and
document reviews were used for triangulation and data collection. The data analyses used in this
study were completed by using Moustakas’ (1994) seven step thematic coding derived from the
observations, interview transcriptions, and school documents in the form of lesson plans and
objectives (Merriam, 2009; Moustakas, 1994).
Keywords: Inquiry-Based Instruction, traditional instruction, constructivism, Choice
Theory, hands-on learning, teacher beliefs, teacher choice, school environment
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Dedication/Acknowledgments Page
God is my author and has led me to this point for which I am eternally grateful. This
study would not have been possible without the support and sacrifice of my family who
encouraged me to persistently persevere in the pursuit of higher education! Ron, my husband,
always encouraged me to move to the next level of education; Ronisha, my oldest child, would
not let me feel defeated; Ronell, my second child, always encouraged me with praise, and
Rhonda, my youngest, would tangibly shut the office door and tell me to keep working! Last,
my faithful parents: Dad and Mom prayed constantly for me and together provided Christian
education all my life.
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Table of Contents
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ 3
Dedication/ Acknowledgments Pages ............................................................................ 4
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ 5
List of Tables .................................................................................................................. 9
List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................... 10
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 12
Background ................................................................................................................... 12
Situation to Self ............................................................................................................ 15
Problem Statement ........................................................................................................ 16
Purpose Statement ......................................................................................................... 16
Significance of the Study .............................................................................................. 18
Research Question(s) .................................................................................................... 19
Summary………………………………………………………………………………21

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................... 23
Overview ....................................................................................................................... 23
Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................. 23
Review of the Literature ............................................................................................... 23
History of IBI………………………………………………………………………….32

Summary ....................................................................................................................... 52
CHAPER THREE: METHODOLOGY ............................................................................ 54
Design ........................................................................................................................... 54
Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 55
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Setting (or Site) ............................................................................................................ 56
Participants .................................................................................................................... 56
Procedures ..................................................................................................................... 58
Researchers Role………………………………………………………………………60
Data Collection ............................................................................................................. 61
Interviews ...................................................................................................................... 62
Observations ................................................................................................................. 65
Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………………..66
Trustworthiness ............................................................................................................. 68
Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................. 69
Summary………………………………………………………………………………70

CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS ....................................................................................... 71
Research Questions ....................................................................................................72
Personal Experiences with Phenomenon……………………….................................72
Participant Summary ..................................................................................................73
Participant Profiles......................................................................................................73
Christian School One Participants........................................................................73
Christian School Two Participants …..................................................................75
Christian School Three Participants…………………………………………….75
Christian School Four Participants……………………………………………..76
Christian School Five Participants ……………………………………………..76
School Documents...............................................................................................................77
Significant Statements and Themes ....................................................................77
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Interviews………………...............................................................................................80
Significant Statements and Themes ..................................................................80
Observations…………….............................................................................................. 88
Significant Items and Themes ..........................................................................89
Textural Description ......................................................................................................91
Structural Description ....................................................................................................93
Research Questions Answered………...........................................................................96
Research Question One ....................................................................................96
Research Question Two ....................................................................................96
Research Question Three ……………………………………………………..97
Research Question Four.....................................................................................97
Composite Description....................................................................................................97
Summary………………………………………………………………………………100

CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION………………………………………………………....103
Overview…………………………………………………………………………...103

Summary of the Findings.………………………………………………………….104

Discussion of the Findings…………………………………………………………104

Theoretical Implications…………………………………………………………...111

Recommendations for Future Research …….……………………………………..114

Delimitations and Limitations ………..……………………………………………115

Summary……………………………………………………………………………116

REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………….118
APPENDIX ………………………………………………………………………………..131
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APPENDIX A: IRB Approval………………………………………………….….131
APPENDIX B: Principal/Administration Recruitment Form……………………...135
APPENDIX C: Teacher Participation Recruitment Letter and Consent Form..…....141
APPENDIX D: Teacher Interview Protocol……………………………………….148
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List of Tables
Table 1: Participant Profile Interviews..………….…...………………………………….76
Table 2: School Document……………………………….….……………………………78
Table 3: Interviews……….……….…………………………….………………………...85
Table 4: SMOP Observations……………………………………………………………..91
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List of Abbreviations
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Beliefs About Learning Environments (BALE)
Biological Science Curriculum Study (BSCS)
Choice Theory (CT)
Christian School One (CS1)
Christian School Two (CS2)
Christian School Three (CS3)
Christian School Four (CS4)
Christian School Five (CS5)
Classroom Learning Environment Survey (CLES)
Curriculum Coordinators (CC)
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Inquiry-Based Instruction (IBI)
Christian middle school science teachers (CMSST)
Christian middle school science students (CMSSS)
National Science Education Standards (NSES)
National Research Council (NRC),
National Science Standards (NSS)
Nursery Kindergarten (NK)
Project Based learning (PBL)