Voices of Successful Science Teachers in an Urban Diverse Single Gender Girls' School

Abstract

This research study was conducted as a qualitative case study of four successful science teachers of female students in a diverse, title 1, urban, public girls’ school. The study was designed to hear the ‘muted’ voices of successful science teachers concerning their beliefs and practices when they effectively provide learning opportunities for female students of color in their classrooms.

Ethic of Care, equity pedagogy and culturally responsive pedagogy, created the theoretical framework for interpretation of the powerful narratives and storytelling that influenced this group of successful teachers. Data were collected by conducting in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Constant comparative method and narrative analysis were used to code and categorize the data. Analysis was conducted after each interview to discover emergent themes. Teachers conducted member checks throughout the process.

The findings from the study yielded the following: (1)teachers had a passion for science and incorporated ongoing scientific developments and real-life examples and applications in their teaching, (2) teachers adopted a caring, concerned, and studentcentered approach to teaching, (3) teachers acknowledged certain benefits to a singlesex girls education which included fewer distractions, increased confidence and comfort level of students(5) teachers built relationships with students that encouraged students to engage with rigorous course content and meet higher expectations for performance. Themes that emerged included: care, culturally responsive pedagogy and culturally relevant curriculum.