Introduction
The research component of the ISEP project has two foci. The first focus is on ISEP participating teachers and their students. The objective is to understand the processes and conditions in which science teachers develop interdisciplinary science inquiry knowledge, and how this knowledge is translated into interdisciplinary pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) that ultimately improves student science learning. Accordingly, the research questions for this focus are:
- What are science teachers’ conceptions of interdisciplinary science inquiry? How do their conceptions change through intensive summer research and ongoing professional developments?
- How do science teachers translate interdisciplinary science inquiry experiences and understanding gained in university research laboratories into their classroom inquiry instructional practices, i.e. how do science teachers develop interdisciplinary science inquiry PCK?
- How do professional learning communities (PLC’s) support teacher development of interdisciplinary science inquiry PCK?
The second focus is on university STEM students, specifically on the processes of STEM students developing understanding of interdisciplinary science inquiry and abilities to communicating science to middle and high school science teachers and students. Research questions for this focus are:
- How do STEM graduate and undergraduate students develop an informed understanding of interdisciplinary science inquiry?
- How do STEM graduate and undergraduate students develop their skills to communicate interdisciplinary science inquiry to middle and high school students and teachers?
- What are factors facilitating or inhibiting the above development?
