Relations Between Australian Primary Teachers’ Reported Professional Development Engagement and Their Science Teaching Practices and Efficacy Beliefs

Oct 15, 2026

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Professional development is crucial for sustained improvement in primary science education quality. This paper examines how science teaching efficacy beliefs and practices differ between Australian primary teachers who have and have not engaged with science professional development, beyond any single program context. A mainly quantitative study of 206 educators used online-survey demographic, efficacy, and practice data, analyzed through descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and Chi Square, with supplementary qualitative thematic analysis.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages40

Reading Time1 h 41 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction and Literature Review

Quality science education and scientific literacy

Assessment evidence and equity concerns

Teacher roles, constraints, and inquiry-based challenges

Teacher science content knowledge and teaching practices

Relations Between Australian Primary Teachers’ Reported Professional Development Engagement and Their Science Teaching Practices and Efficacy Beliefs James Deehan Amy MacDonald Charles Sturt University Abstract: Professional development has long been viewed as crucial to sustained improvement in the quality of primary science education. This paper considers professional development beyond the context of a specific program by examining how the science teaching efficacy beliefs and practices vary between teachers who both have and have not engaged with science professional development. This paper reports on a primarily quantitative study wherein a sample of 206 Australian public primary educators responded to an online survey capturing demographic, science teaching efficacy and science teaching practice data. Quantitative data were analysed via descriptive, ANOVA and Chi Square analyses. The supplementary qualitative data were analysed thematically. More participants reportedly not participating in science professional development (n=128) than those that did (n=78), with teachers based in non metropolitan and disadvantaged schools being proportionally overrepresented in the “No PD” group. The results showed that teachers who reportedly engaged with science professional development showed significantly higher scores on measures of science teaching efficacy, science teaching approaches and curriculum coverage. Professional development attendees were also more likely to use science teaching approaches aligned with the broader goal of improving students’ scientific literacy. This research has implications for increasing access to science professional development opportunities for primary educators. It also shows that the benefits commonly associated with specific professional development programs cannot be solely attributed to the characteristics of teachers willing to pursue such opportunities because the non-attendees in this study were still engaged and confident enough to participate in this research project. Keywords: science education; primary education; professional development; teacher efficacy; teacher beliefs; quality improvement Introduction and Literature Review Quality science education must be emphasised in our increasingly complex and tumultuous world. It is imperative that our future generations become scientifically literate citizens who are able to flexibly apply their science knowledge and skills to real world contexts as informed global citizens (Akerson & Bartels, 2023; Bybee, 1997; Roberts & Bybee, 2014) . Scientific literacy is about understanding the way scientific evidence and insights can benefit people in their everyday lives (Goodrum et al., 2001; Rennie, 2005) . Australian national (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2013; 2019; 2024) and international (Martin et al., 1997; Thomson et al., 2020) assessments offer compelling, albeit flawed insights into the scientific literacy of primary learners (Baker, 1997; Bracey, 2000; Schuelka, 2013; Wang, 2001; Zhao, 2020) . The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the preeminent assessment of Year 4 (i.e., 10 year old) learners across Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations; the triennial assessment shows that 90% of participating nations, including Australia, are falling below the high international threshold denoting age appropriate science and scientific literacy (Thomson et al., 2020) . This is not to say that science education systems are in decline, rather that international assessments are signalling stagnation amidst inconsistent findings (Georgiou, 2023). A recent assessment of the scientific literacy of 6089 Australian students indicated that 57% reached the proficiency threshold which denotes their emerging abilities to construct and explain scientific concepts, with reference to evidence, in famili

FAQs

What is the main research focus of the paper?

The paper investigates how Australian primary teachers’ science teaching efficacy beliefs and practices vary between those who have engaged with science professional development and those who have not.

How was the study conducted and analyzed?

The study used online survey responses from 206 Australian public primary educators. Quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and Chi Square, while supplementary qualitative data were analyzed thematically.

What outcomes did the paper report for teachers who attended professional development?

Teachers who reported engaging with science professional development showed significantly higher scores on science teaching efficacy, teaching approaches, and curriculum coverage, and were more likely to use approaches aligned with improving students’ scientific literacy.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Kurz