Motivating Teachers to Enact Free-Choice Project-Based Learning in Science and Technology (PBLSAT): Effects of a Professional Development Model

Source: Journal of Science Teacher Education, Volume 19, Number 6 / December 2008, pages 565-591

The authors examined the effects of a long-term, continuous professional development (CPD) model, designed to support teachers to enact Project-Based Learning (PBLSAT).
How do novice PBLSAT teachers view their acquisition of PBLSAT skills and how do expert PBLSAT teachers, who enacted the program 5–7 years, perceive the program?
Novice teachers evaluated that they acquired the relevant skills. However, they also expressed worries about enacting the program due to potential difficulties for teachers.
Nonetheless, the teachers enacted the program and identified unforeseen benefits for themselves and their students.
The authors suggest that the CPD model helps teachers develop a sense of personal ownership and customization for the program, through multi-staged support to integrate student free-choice PBL into the formal science curriculum