Teachers' Experiences with Implementing Open-ended Labs in High School Physics Classe

TL;DR

This study explores the challenges and perceptions of high school physics teachers in adopting open-ended labs, highlighting barriers, belief shifts, and a successful case of implementation within a teacher community.

Contribution

It provides new insights into psychological and structural barriers affecting open-ended lab adoption and demonstrates how community support can facilitate perceptual and practical shifts.

Findings

Identified psychological and structural barriers to open-ended labs.

Showed interaction of barriers complicates adoption.

Case study illustrates how perceptions shift within a community.

Abstract

Although most teachers acknowledge the importance of taking investigative approached in students' science learning experiences, implementing them in high-school classes can be challenging for teachers. In this work, we analyzed data from multiple sources from a teaching Community of Practice (CoP) to investigate (a) barriers to using open-ended labs in physics classes, (b) shifts in teachers' beliefs about the use of open-ended labs in their classes during teachers' engagement in a physics teacher CoP in a partnership program, and (c) a case study of one teachers whose shifts in perceptions about open-ended labs led to her successful implementation of an open-ended lab in her class. The findings confirm the existence of well-known psychological and structural barriers that can prevent teachers from adopting investigative approaches in teaching physics labs. Moreover, we learned how the interaction of these barriers further complicates the adoption of open-ended approaches in physics classes. The study also revealed a significant gap between teachers' current practices and their desired method for conducting labs, particularly in terms of structured versus open-ended approaches. The case study offered deeper insights into how shifts in teaching practices occur through changes in perceptions within a supportive CoP.