UNDERSTANDING SCIENCE TEACHERS’ PRAXIS: An ethnographical study of science teaching in four Bangalore schools A thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2010 by Indira Jayaram School of Social Sciences National Institute of Advanced Studies Indian Institute of Science Campus Bangalore 560012 India Declaration I hereby declare that the work presented in this thesis entitled, Understanding Science Teachers’ Praxis: An ethnographical study of science teaching in four Bangalore schools has been carried out under the guidance of Prof. Padma M Sarangapani and has not formed the basis for the award of any other degree, diploma or fellowship previously. The particulars given in this thesis are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. Place: Bangalore ____________________________________ Date: _________ Indira Jayaram ii Certificate The research embodied in this thesis entitled Understanding Science Teachers’ Praxis: An ethnographical study of science teaching in four Bangalore schools was conducted by Indira Jayaram in the School of Humanities, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore under the supervision and guidance of Prof. Padma M Sarangapani and advice and approval of the undersigned members of the Doctoral Committee. It is hereby certified that the thesis submitted is a bonafide record of research done by the candidate in fulfillment of the requirements for Ph.D. degree, and that the thesis has not previously formed the basis for the award to the candidate of any degree, diploma, associateship, fellowship or any other similar title of any other university or society. Place: NIAS, Bangalore ____________________________________ Date: _________ Dr. Padma M. Sarangapani (Guide) Doctoral Committee 1. Dr. Padma M.Sarangapani (Guide) , Visiting Professor, School of Social Sciences, NIAS, Bangalore Professor, School of Social Sciences, TISS, Mumbai. 2. Dr. B K. Anitha , Associate Professor School of Social Sciences, NIAS, Bangalore 3. Dr. Sundar Sarukkai, Professor, School of Humanities, NIAS, Bangalore At present: Professor and Director Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities Manipal University, Manipal iii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my grandmother Saraswati Patti who at 99 years is eagerly looking forward to me receiving the doctorate degree. Patti has been a constant source of encouragement with her unflagging interest in my docotoral work. You are such an inspiration, Patti! I also dedicate this work to the students of government schools with the hope that it may significantly change their experience of learning and doing science. Much work lies ahead...work to which I shall devote myself henceforth. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to gratefully acknowledge the guidance of Prof. Padma Sarangapani, who in a few sentences spoken at a meeting of educators indicated a deep understanding of education. Her quiet words inspired me to take the plunge into the deep waters by taking up doctoral work at the National Institute of Advanced Studies Bangalore. I wish also to express my gratitude to Prof. Sundar Sarukkai and Prof. B.K. Anitha, for their support and kindness. For the stimulating classes and exciting exposure to the world of ethnographic work I must thank the entire faculty at the School of Social Sciences at NIAS. I would not have survived the process without the friendship of Meera, Sreeja, Kishore, Rahul,, Anu, Mayukh, Rajani and the rest of the maverick bunch of knowledge seekers who found themselves together at NIAS pursuing research that did not easily fit into conventional disciplinary boundaries.Somehow with such wonderful company it did not matter that I belonged to an older generation. During field work, my presence was easily accepted in the staffrooms and classrooms and I thank the teachers in the different schools for their patience and generosity in sharing their life and work with me. My family has been very tolerant as I went through the ups and downs of life as a Ph.D. student. My grandmother, Saraswati Patti, my parents, my aunty and my sisters have managed to contain their anxiety about what appeared to them as my protracted struggle to complete the thesis writing . I have managed to get this far only because of their love and support. My children have cheerfully borne their mother’s adventure in academia and have been hugely supportive in a multitude of ways. I suspect they enjoyed seeing the tables turned as they urged me to study hard! My editor friend Veena pushed me through the last stages of writing – thank you, Veena, for ensuring that it turned out decent. Any errors that remain are all mine! Above all I shall always remain grateful to NIAS for providing me the space and support for this work.This work would not have been possible without the unstinting help that I received from all the staff of NIAS especially Hamsa,our ever smiling librarian. v CONTENTS Dedication ........................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................ v Abstract ............................................................................................................................................. viii 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Equity in Science Education .......................................................................................... 1 1.2 Curriculum and context ................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Science Education Research ........................................................................................ 12 1.4. Scope of Research ............................................................................................................. 14 1.5 Organization of Research Findings .......................................................................... 20 2 Theoretical Framework and ................................................................................................ 26 Methodological Considerations ............................................................................................... 26 2.1 School Effectiveness Studies ....................................................................................... 30 2.2 Theories of Cultural Transmission ........................................................................... 40 2.3 Note on the Choice of Research Method ................................................................ 51 2.4 Fieldwork ............................................................................................................................ 58 2.5 Data handling and coding ............................................................................................. 68 3 The Schools ................................................................................................................................. 71 3.1 Location ................................................................................................................................. 73 3.1.1 Selection of Schools for the Research Study ....................................................... 76 3.2 Description of Schools in Study Area ...................................................................... 77 3.3 Comparisons Across the Four Schools .................................................................... 95 3.4 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 107 4 Science Teachers .................................................................................................................... 127 4.1 An Introduction to the Science Teachers ............................................................... 133 4.2 Biographical Sketches of the Teachers ................................................................... 142 4.3 Reasons For Choosing To Teach ................................................................................ 170 4.4 Professional Development ........................................................................................... 194 4.5 Teachers’ And Their Work ........................................................................................... 197 4.6 Teachers and Their Students .................................................................................... 216 vi 4.7 Differences In Perception About Students ............................................................ 238 4.8 Deficit Model of Backgrounds of Children in Government Schools ............ 241 4.9 Teachers’ Views on Gender and Language differences .................................... 243 4.8 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 248 5 Pedagogic Discourse ............................................................................................................. 258 5.1. Preparation for Lessons ............................................................................................. 265 5.2 Phases of teaching ........................................................................................................... 272 5.3 Use of Textbooks .............................................................................................................