Florida MSP Projects: Science Teacher Questionnaire

Directions: Your help is requested to gather important information about your perceptions and practices as a participant in this MSP project. Please respond to all the items on the following pages. Please answer as completely and honestly as possible. All your responses are confidential, and will only be seen by the project evaluator. Results will be compiled and summarized for anonymous reporting to the FDOE and MSP project staff. Thank you for taking part in this questionnaire.


  1. Enter Participation code which is P1-3 and enter SCHOOL NAME


  1. Date Questionnaire Completed


  1. Do you have a special role in the MSP project? (Mark all that apply)
    District-based teacher leader or coach
    School-based teacher leader or coach
    Learning community facilitator
    Workshop or course facilitator
    Other (describe below)
    No special role


  1. Describe "other" role from above:


  1. Grade(s) at which you currently teach (Mark all that apply)
    Not currently teaching
    K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10
    11
    12


  1. Please rate each of the following in terms of its IMPORTANCE FOR EFFECTIVE SCIENCE INSTRUCTION in the grades you teach.
    (Not important, Somewhat important, Fairly important, or Very important)

            1 2 3 4      
      Provide concrete experience before discussing abstract concepts. Not important Very important  
      Have students participate in appropriate hands-on activities. Not important Very important  
      Engage students in inquiry-oriented activities. Not important Very important  
      Have students design their own science experiments. Not important Very important  
      Design effective science lessons that use an inquiry-based approach. Not important Very important  
      Use science lessons to reinforce important mathematics concepts. Not important Very important  
      Incorporate specific reading strategies into science lessons. Not important Very important  
      Have students write narrative descriptions/explanations about science. Not important Very important  
      Have students work in cooperative learning groups. Not important Very important  
      Use computers or graphing calculators to display/analyze data. Not important Very important  
      Use scientific probes to collect data. Not important Very important  
      Use Internet resources to teach science concepts. Not important Very important  
      Use performance tasks for assessment purposes. Not important Very important  
      Use portfolios or journals for assessment purposes. Not important Very important  


  1. Please rate each of the following in terms of its HOW PREPARED YOU FEEL to do each of these items.
    (Not adequately prepared, Somewhat prepared, Fairly well prepared, or Very well prepared)

            1 2 3 4      
      Provide concrete experience before discussing abstract concepts. Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      Have students participate in appropriate hands-on activities. Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      Engage students in inquiry-oriented activities. Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      Have students design their own science experiments. Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      Design effective science lessons that use an inquiry-based approach. Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      Use science lessons to reinforce important mathematics concepts. Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      Incorporate specific reading strategies into science lessons. Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      Have students write narrative descriptions/explanations about science. Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      Have students work in cooperative learning groups. Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      Use computers or graphing calculators to display/analyze data. Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      Use scientific probes to collect data. Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      Use Internet resources to teach science concepts. Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      Use performance tasks for assessment purposes. Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      Use portfolios or journals for assessment purposes. Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  


  1. Many science teachers feel better prepared to teach some topic areas than others. How well-prepared do you feel to address the following Sunshine State Science Strands at the grade levels you teach (whether or not they are included in the curriculum for your current teaching assignment)?
    (Not adequately prepared, Somewhat prepared, Fairly well prepared, or Very well prepared)

            1 2 3 4      
      a. The Nature of Matter Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      b. Energy Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      c. Force and Motion Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      d. Processes that Shape the Earth Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      e. Earth and Space Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      f. Processes of Life Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      g. How Living Things Interact with their Environment Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  
      h. The Nature of Science Not adequately prepared Very well prepared  


  1. Give your opinion about each of the following statements: (Strongly agree, Agree, Neutral/Mixed, Disagree, or Strongly disagree)

            1 2 3 4 5      
      Overall, I feel well-prepared to teach my assigned science classes. Strongly agree Strongly disagree  
      I feel I have the science content background I need to teach all my assigned classes effectively. Strongly agree Strongly disagree  
      I'm concerned that trying to implement new science teaching techniques will have a negative impact on my students' FCAT performance. Strongly agree Strongly disagree  
      I'm concerned that if I let students draw their own conclusions in a science activity, they'll end up with misunderstandings and/or incorrect interpretations. Strongly agree Strongly disagree  
      I'm concerned about the discipline and classroom management issues that might arise with students if I try to use more lab activities in my science teaching. Strongly agree Strongly disagree  
      I'm concerned about the discipline and classroom management issues that might arise with my students if I try to use more cooperative group activities in my science teaching. Strongly agree Strongly disagree  
      I'm concerned about grading issues that might arise if I try to use more cooperative group activities in my science teaching. Strongly agree Strongly disagree  
      I'm concerned that trying to implement new science teaching techniques will have a negative impact on my ability to cover all the required curriculum. Strongly agree Strongly disagree  
      I'm concerned that trying to use science classes to reinforce other areas (like math or reading) will have a negative impact on my ability to cover all the required curriculum. Strongly agree Strongly disagree  


  1. Please rate the extent to which the following factors are issues that limit your use of an inquiry approach in your science teaching. (Not an issue for me, Minor issue for me, Major issue for me)

            1 2 3      
      Too much preparation is involved to get materials ready. Not an issue for me Major issue for me  
      I do not have the proper materials. Not an issue for me Major issue for me  
      It takes too long; I need to cover material more quickly. Not an issue for me Major issue for me  
      My students don't have the kind of background to be successful with this kind of teaching; it's too challenging for them. Not an issue for me Major issue for me  
      My students' behavior won't allow hands-on activities to be used. Not an issue for me Major issue for me  
      My school administrators discourage use of this kind of approach. Not an issue for me Major issue for me  
      I don't feel this approach is very effective. Not an issue for me Major issue for me  
      Other (please describe below) Not an issue for me Major issue for me  


  1. Please describe "other" in above question.


  1. Listed below are instructional elements that are particularly emphasized when teaching lessons using an inquiry approach. For each one that you do in your science teaching, indicate the degree to which you feel you are successful or find it challenging to do.
    (I am very successful doing this, I am somewhat successful doing this, I have mixed results doing this, This is somewhat of a challenge for me, This is a great challeng for me, or N.A.-This is not the way I teach)

            1 2 3 4 5       N/A
      Having students work effectively in groups. Very successful Great challenge  
      Having students design their own approach to investigate an open-ended task or problem. Very successful Great challenge  
      Prompting students to justify their ideas or solutions, whether correct or incorrect. Very successful Great challenge  
      Stepping back from a "telling" or "explaining" role. Very successful Great challenge  
      Using effective questions to probe deeper for student understanding beyond their initial response. Very successful Great challenge  
      Having students explain their ideas, results, or solutions orally or in writing. Very successful Great challenge  
      Developing targeted concepts by using data from activities and/or relating to real-life experiences. Very successful Great challenge  
      Using tasks, projects, presentations, and other different ways of assessing student understanding. Very successful Great challenge  


  1. For each description below, indicate to the extent to which it is similar to the kinds of science lessons you typically use in your classroom (the lesson activities described may extend over more than one class session) (My science lessons are rarely [if ever] like this, My science lessons are sometimes similar to this, or My science lessons are frequently similar to this)

            1 2 3      
      Students read a section from the text, then work individually or together on a set of assigned questions. The teacher goes over the questions, either explaining the correct answers or calling on students to explain. Rarely (if ever) like this Frequently similar  
      The teacher presents information on a concept. Students then do an activity that illustrates the concept, followed by work on questions to reinforce their learning. The teacher goes over the questions, either explaining the correct answers or calling on students to explain. Rarely (if ever) like this Frequently similar  
      Students follow directions in the text or a worksheet for an activity. The teacher then leads a discussion of the activity, highlighting the important science concepts to be learned. Students apply the concepts, either in written questions or following directions for a related activity. Rarely (if ever) like this Frequently similar  
      The teacher introduces a problem or question to the class. Students work in groups to explore the question or make conjectures about how to investigate it. After trying out their ideas, students present their findings in a class discussion. The teacher uses students results to clarify the concepts. Students write journals to reflect on their learning. Rarely (if ever) like this Frequently similar  


  1. About how often do YOU do each of the following in your science instruction?
    (Never, Rarely [a few times a year], Sometimes [one or twice a month], Often [once or twice a week], All or almost all science lessons)

            1 2 3 4 5      
      Introduce content through formal presentations. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Demonstrate a science-related principle or phenomenon. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Lead a whole-group discussion of a science concept. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Organize students into cooperative groups to discuss ideas. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Organize students into cooperative groups to work on an activity or assignment. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Use open-ended questions. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Use real-world contexts to introduce/develop science concepts. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Encourage students to explain conepts to one another. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Encourage students to come up with alternative explanations. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Use the science lesson to reinforce specific mathematics concepts. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Incorporate specific reading strategies into the science lesson. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Use informal questioning to find out what students know before or during a unit. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Use pre-planned questions to find out what students know before or during a unit. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Use specific tasks or assignments to find out what students know before or during a unit. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Embed assessment into regular class activities. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Use short answer tests (multiple choice, fill in the blank, etc.) Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Use tests requiring open-ended responses (description, justification, etc.) Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Use a performance task or lab activity as a formal assessment. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Use student portfolios or journals to assess student learning. Never All or almost all science lessons  


  1. In your science classes, about how often do students do the following things.
    (Never, Rarely [a few times a year], Sometimes [once or twice a week], Often [once or twice a week], or All or almost all science lessons)

            1 2 3 4 5      
      Read from a textbook or other informational materials in class. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Answer textbook or worksheet questions. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Engage in a hands-on activity after a teacher presentation or class discussion, to illustrate or apply the concept being studied. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Engage in a hands-on activity to explore a concept before discussing it in a formal manner. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Design their own scientific investigation to answer a question or solve a problem. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Record, represent, and/or analyze data. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Make a presentation or demonstration for the class. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Write about what they found in an investigation or problem-solving activity. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Use a calculator to assist with computations. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Use a computer or graphing calculator to display or analyze data. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Gather data using scientific probes attached to a computer or graphing calculator. Never All or almost all science lessons  
      Access Internet resources for information, activities, simulations, etc., about a science concept. Never All or almost all science lessons  





Sabeena Beg