Prospects and challenges in teachers’ adoption of a new modeling orientated science curriculum in lower secondary school in Denmark

Abstract: A new science curriculum with a significant emphasis on modeling has recently been enacted in the Danish compulsory school. This design based study aims to investigate science teachers’ beliefs, practice and reflections in response to the new curriculum. The data sources include teacher-generated instruction plans, learning goals, modeling activities and rubrics. In addition, observations and audio recordings from classroom interventions, planning and reflection sessions were collected. Furthermore, teachers completed a questionnaire. The analysis suggests that teachers have a positive attitude towards the modeling emphasis in the new curriculum, but nevertheless use a restricted range of modeling practices and pay limited attention to the purpose and utility of models. Teachers raised concerns in enacting the new curriculum due to: (i) Lack of time for preparations and teamwork, (ii) Shortage of clarifications and examples in the curriculum materials and teacher education on how to enact modeling in practice, (iii) Overcrowded curriculum, and (iv) Lack of alignment with a national test. In addition, the results indicate an inconsistence between teachers’ intentions and their classroom practice. Their intentions reflect a very broad perspective on modeling by incorporating other science practices and focusing on models and modeling as a process. However, when enacting the intentions into practice their focus largely narrowed to see models as a product of content knowledge and concepts to be learned. The findings will have implications for teacher education, professional development and curriculum development.