As the school-aged population of the United States continues to grow more
racially, ethnically and linguistically diverse, teachers face the challenge of
making science content and processes accessible and meaningful for students from
a broad range of backgrounds. Despite this urgent need, most elementary teachers
are not prepared to teach science effectively in terms of content knowledge and
teaching practices (Kennedy 1998; Loucks-Horsley et al. 1998). Additionally,
most teachers are inadequately equipped to meet the learning needs of culturally
and linguistically diverse students (National Center for Education Statistics
[NCES] 1999). Adding to the challenge, elementary classrooms often lack
appropriate science instructional materials and supplies. This state of affairs is
exacerbated in urban schools, in which nonmainstream students tend to be
concentrated, because of a more generalized lack of resources and funding
(Hewson et al. 2001; Knapp and Plecki 2001; Spillane et al. 2001). Science
instructional time in low-performing urban elementary schools is often limited and
tightly regulated due to the urgency of developing basic literacy and numeracy in
the context of high-stakes assessment and accountability policies (Lee and Luykx
2005; Settlage and Meadows 2002; Shaver et al. 2007). Furthermore, urban
elementary school teachers often do not receive sufficient support from school
administrators or colleagues for teaching science to nonmainstream students
(Knapp and Plecki 2000; Spillane et al. 2001).
Unlike the existing literature that has addressed science education and student
diversity separately, this study examined urban elementary school teachers’
perceptions of their knowledge of science content, science teaching practices, and
support for language development of English language learners or ELL students
simultaneously. Furthermore, unlike the existing literature that has addressed school
organization and student diversity separately, this study examined teachers’
perceptions of organizational supports and barriers associated with their classroom
practices in science. While teachers’ perceptions may distort their actual teaching
practices, their perceptions still need to be taken into account when designing
interventions, as teachers are more likely to enact changes when those changes
reflect their beliefs. Additionally, while it is not possible to produce a fixed list of
recommendations for professional development, understanding current science
teaching practices in the context of organizational supports or barriers is important
for designing and implementing professional development aimed at promoting
reform-oriented practices.