OpenSciEd practitioner needs maps: a conjecture-map-style framework linking seven support themes to three broad outcomes¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 6 claims (6 for) · 1 study (1 associational), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 6 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The report organizes practitioner-identified needs into maps showing relationships and dependencies among needs, grouped into seven themes: professional learning, teacher agency/collaboration/management, teacher capacity, meeting students' needs, classroom culture, formative assessment practices, and assessment resources. The maps connect these themes to three broad outcomes: "(1) Deep, sustained district adoption and implementation, (2) High-quality, equitable classroom enactment and student engagement, and (3) Evidence of NGSS-based student outcomes." The authors state the maps "constitute a kind of conjecture map (Sandoval, 2014) that can guide researchers in gathering empirical evidence of the relationships expressed in them."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• The maps reflect only what practitioners articulated in focus group interviews, not needs or connections drawn from research literature

Constraints¶

• Insights reflect only middle and high school practitioners because elementary OpenSciEd materials were under development
• Respondents were recruited through OpenSciEd networks and many took part in field tests, so views may not represent all OpenSciEd users

Target Learners¶

• middle and high school science students

Target Learning Objectives¶

• NGSS-based three-dimensional science proficiency
• equitable classroom participation and engagement

Claims¶

• Openscied Teacher Supports Foundational [+M]
• Openscied Formative Assessment Feasibility Challenges [+M]
• OpenSciEd practitioners' highest-priority needs group into six areas: student engagement, classroom culture, assessment, materials adaptation, planning/reflection time, and teacher capacity. [+W]
• Teachers and education leaders differ in which OpenSciEd challenges they prioritize: teachers rate student engagement higher, leaders rate materials adaptation and teacher capacity higher. [+W]
• High school teachers report more OpenSciEd engagement challenges than middle school teachers, and urban respondents rate challenges as occurring more often than suburban and rural respondents. [+W]
• Practitioners most often name students with disabilities (37.4%) and multilingual learners (31.0%) as groups experiencing equity challenges with OpenSciEd. [+W]

Related Theories¶

• OpenSciEd research logic model
• Adapted conjecture map framework for learning scientists and computer scientists

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• McElhaney, K., Urban, R., Kamdar, D., Baker, A., Tsai, K., and Roschelle, J. (2024). Practitioner-reported Needs for Enacting, Implementing, and Adopting OpenSciEd Curriculum Materials [White paper]. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/215