Gaining Cooperation - Teachers

Understanding Science Project

Teacher Agreement to Protect Study

Force and Motion 2008-09

Dear Colleague,

As you know, the purpose of this research is to reveal how science staff development methods support teacher learning. One of the serious challenges of a randomized study like this is that the results are only useful if the experiences of participating teachers are distinctly different. In this study, teachers are participating either by taking an Understanding Science course or by completing whatever staff development they would ordinarily participate in.

This agreement describes ways that you can help protect the study from “contamination” across staff development conditions as well as other threats to the study’s validity. We are requesting that all teachers read and sign this agreement so that we may demonstrate to audiences of this research that we made every effort to conduct a sound, rigorous experiment.

Protecting our study from contamination is particularly crucial in schools and districts where teachers work closely with those who are participating in other staff development conditions in the same study. We must ask you not to spontaneously share or ask for detailed information about course activities, or course-related science content knowledge and pedagogical strategies, with your colleagues until Spring 2010.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

S incerely,

Joan I. Heller, Ph.D.
510-873-0808
jheller@edservices.org

Agreement to Protect Study from Threats to Validity

Thank you for volunteering to be part of this scientific test of science staff development conditions. Your cooperation in making this a valid study is extremely important and greatly appreciated. Please join us in making the study useful by making a commitment to protect it from threats to validity.

Your role in this research project is an important contribution to the profession of teaching. Thank you in advance for your commitment.

I agree to protect the differences between the two study conditions.

• I will only talk about or share details of Understanding Science materials, activities, or approaches with teachers who are participating in this study in the same staff development condition to which I have been assigned.

• I understand that giving or receiving Understanding Science course materials to or from other teachers before summer 2009 will compromise the research study and could jeopardize the effort that I and other teachers have given to this project.

I agree to protect the validity of students’ performance on quizzes about force and motion.

• I will administer the Understanding Science project quizzes to students without providing assistance, except as noted in the administration instructions.

• I agree not to view the quizzes prior to, during, or after administering them to the students. I will return to HRA all copies of the student quiz, including blank forms, and I will not copy or reproduce any part of the quizzes. I understand that I will receive a copy of the student quiz after the study is over in summer 2009.

• I agree not to grade, score, or assess the students’ performance on the quizzes.

By signing below, I indicate that I am aware of, and agree to, these specific ways that I can support the study’s validity.

Printed Name

Signature Date