Understanding Science Teacher Learning as Situated in Organizational Contexts: Introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

In this special issue, we feature scholarship focused on understanding the organizational context of science teacher learning. The special issue grew out of discussions among professional learning researchers and practitioners over the last several years that highlighted the following concerns: (a) that teacher learning in professional development showed up in vastly different ways in teachers' instructional practice; (b) that traditional research on the role of individual teacher traits (existing knowledge, skills, and beliefs) did not fully explain this variation; (c) that simply listing organizational features as barriers to teacher learning did not allow for a theoretical understanding of the interplay of teacher learning within organizations; and that (d) the existing literature that took up this interplay was not yet well known in the science education community. Together, these concerns signaled a need for a repertoire of work to support research and design practices that situate teacher learning within their organizations. The 14 original empirical and conceptual pieces that compose the special issue examine the ways teacher learning is shaped by the sociocultural and historical institutions of schooling that teachers work within and navigate as part of their daily practice. Teachers are positioned, not solely as conduits of reform nor as constrained actors within their organizational environment, but rather as agentive learners situated in complex contexts.

The work of this special issue mirrors the kinds of design features championed within the issue's articles. It began in scholarly relationships that were developed through mutual admiration, and germinated on a kayak trip during a conference in San Diego. The special issue grew and flourished through group gatherings at the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST), culminating in a NARST invited poster session. Similar to the resources noted across many of the included studies, the collective learning featured in these articles was fostered through infrastructure (support from Science Education and NARST), a culture of collaboration (zoom sessions, group discussions of theory and methods), and relationships (mentoring, happy hours, laughing). This emergent process has culminated in a set of articles that examine, unpack, and challenge the concerns that sparked the special issue, providing new and innovative understandings. Enjoy!