Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations Department of Middle and Secondary Education 12-14-2017 A Phenomenographic Analysis of Urban Secondary Science Teachers’ Understanding of Nature of Science and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Justin Spurley Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/mse_diss Recommended Citation Spurley, Justin, "A Phenomenographic Analysis of Urban Secondary Science Teachers’ Understanding of Nature of Science and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2017. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/mse_diss/63 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Middle and Secondary Education at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ACCEPTANCE This dissertation, A PHENOMENOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF URBAN SECONDARY SCI- ENCE TEACHERS’ UNDERSTANDING OF NATURE OF SCIENCE AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT PEDAGOGY, by JUSTIN J. SPURLEY, was prepared under the direction of the candidate’s Dissertation Advisory Committee. It is accepted by the committee members in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Education, in the College of Education and Human Development, Georgia State University. The Dissertation Advisory Committee and the student’s Department Chairperson, as representatives of the faculty, certify that this dissertation has met all standards of excellence and scholarship as determined by the faculty. Reneé S. Schwartz, Ph.D. Committee Chair Janet Z. Burns, Ph.D. Pier A. Junor Clarke, Ph.D. Committee Member Committee Member Date Gertrude Tinker Sachs, Ph.D. Chairperson Department of Middle and Secondary Education Paul A. Alberto, Ph.D. Dean College of Education and Human Development AUTHOR’S STATEMENT By presenting this dissertation as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the advanced degree from Georgia State University, I agree that the library of Georgia State University shall make it available for inspection and circulation in accordance with its regulations governing materials of this type. I agree that permission to quote, to copy from, or to publish this dissertation may be granted by the professor under whose direction it was written, by the College of Education and Human Development’s Director of Graduate Studies, or by me. Such quoting, copying, or publishing must be solely for scholarly purposes and will not involve potential financial gain. It is understood that any copying from or publication of this dissertation which involves potential financial gain will not be allowed without my written permission. Justin J. Spurley NOTICE TO BORROWERS All dissertations deposited in the Georgia State University library must be used in accordance with the stipulations prescribed by the author in the preceding statement. The author of this dissertation is: Justin J. Spurley Middle and Secondary Education College of Education and Human Development The director of this dissertation is: Dr. Reneé S. Schwartz Department of Middle and Secondary Education College of Education and Human Development Georgia State University Atlanta, GA 30303 CURRICULUM VITAE Justin J. Spurley ADDRESS: 7838 Bluefin Trail Union City, GA, 30291 EDUCATION: Ed.D. 2017 Georgia State University Curriculum and Instruction Ed.S. 2014 University of West Georgia Instructional Technology M.A.T. 2012 Georgia State University Secondary Science Education B.A. 2010 Middlebury College Biology PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 2016‒present Science Department Chairperson Elite Scholars Academy Clayton County Public Schools, GA 2011‒present Science Teacher Elite Scholars Academy Clayton County Public Schools, GA 2010‒2011 College Readiness Liaison Atlanta Public Schools PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS: Hutchins, R., & Spurley, J. (2016, February). Science + Literacy = Scientific Literacy: Using fictional texts to teach scientific concepts. Paper presented at the Georgia Science Teachers Association conference, Stone Mountain, GA. Wade, K., Roman, S., Spurley, J., Schoene, M., & Koulagna, Y. (2016, February). Using culturally relevant pedagogy in secondary science classrooms. Paper presented at the Georgia Science Teachers Association conference, Stone Mountain, GA. Wade, K., Roman, S., Spurley, J., Schoene, M., & Koulagna, Y. (2016, April). Using culturally relevant pedagogy in secondary science classrooms. Paper presented at the National Science Teachers Association, Nashville, TN. PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONS 2012‒present National Science Teachers Association 2012‒present National Earth Science Teachers Association 2014‒present Association of Science Teacher Educators 2016‒present National Association for Research in Science Teaching A PHENOMENOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF URBAN SECONDARY SCIENCE TEACHERS’ UNDERSTANDING OF NATURE OF SCIENCE AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT PEDAGOGY by JUSTIN J. SPURLEY Under the Direction of Dr. Reneé S. Schwartz ABSTRACT The underperformance of minoritized students in public school science as measured by standardized exams and the underrepresentation of minoritized students in science-related careers is well documented. Currently, most of the nation’s children under 5 are members of minoritized groups and for the first time in U.S. public school history, the majority of students in public schools is largely composed of Black, Hispanic, and Asian students. In an effort to improve the performance of minoritized students, teachers need to understand their students’ cultures and how these cultures play a role in teaching and learning. Science teachers are responsible for helping their students understand scientific ways of thinking, which can be accomplished by reconsidering science as a culture and making this culture an explicit part of science teaching including nature of science. This qualitative research study used a phenomenographic approach to identify the understandings of nature of science and culturally relevant pedagogy held by 10 urban, secondary science teachers in a large metropolitan city in the U.S. Southeast. The data were drawn from analysis of transcripts of semi-structured interviews as well as responses to the Views of Nature of Science questionnaire. Participants communicated understandings of culturally relevant pedagogy that ranged from assimilationist understandings to informed understandings in various aspects. Additionally, participants communicated understandings of the NOS aspects that ranged from naïve to informed. Based on the responses of the participants, there were some relationships between their understanding of CRP and NOS. The nature of the relationships between science teachers’ beliefs about the classroom social environment and their beliefs about the subjective NOS as well as the role of social and cultural influences on science and the development of scientific knowledge should be explored further. New relationships could be helpful in developing a framework for culturally relevant science teaching. This study provided evidence that this group of urban, secondary science teachers lack knowledge of relevant NOS aspects for K‒12 learners as well as CRP as a pedagogical framework. Knowledge of both, with professional development focused on pedagogy, may translate into classroom practice and ultimately improve science education for minoritized students. INDEX WORDS: Nature of science, Culturally relevant pedagogy, Understanding, Secondary, Science teacher, Phenomenography, Urban contexts A PHENOMENOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF URBAN SECONDARY SCIENCE TEACHERS’ UNDERSTANDING OF NATURE OF SCIENCE AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT PEDAGOGY by JUSTIN J. SPURLEY A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction in Middle and Secondary Education in the College of Education and Human Development Georgia State University Atlanta, GA 2017 Copyright by Justin J. Spurley 2017 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank God for giving me the stregth and perserverance to reach the end of this doctoral journey. I have contemplated quitting this journey many, many times after many setbacks but it was only through my faith in God and believeing that I would someday complete this journey that I am now done. To my dissertation committee, Dr. Renee` Schwartz, Dr. Janet Burns, and Dr. Pier Junor Clarke, I simply say “thank you!” Thank you for believing in me! I would like to acknowledge my major professor and mentor, Dr. Renee` S. Schwartz, for her faith in me as I moved through this journey. Dr. Schwartz took a chance believed in me and my work even when I didn’t believe in myself. Words alone cannot express my gratitude. I would also like to say thank you for bearing with me to my mother, Jacqueline and my brother, Ricky. Many times they would ask me what I was doing and I simply said “typing.” I am forever grateful for their support throughout this journey. To my friends, Anthony and Alicia, thank you for your understanding. I finally have the time now to hangout. To my friend, DeeDee, you have become a sister to me during the past four years. I appreciate your frienship and your minivan chronicles! You have “talked me from the ledge” many, many times when I wanted to give up. Finally, I am forever indebted to the ten participants who graciously