Effects of Hypermedia-Infused Professional Development on Attitudes Toward Teaching Science

Abstract

Recent calls for improvements in the teaching of science gave rise to the implementation of numerous reform strategies in the elementary classroom. Although, they have not met with success in all content areas, professional development workshops have been shown to be effective in producing changes in teachers, the teaching process, and ultimately student learning. The integration of hypermedia is one method of improving the effectiveness of elementary science professional development workshops. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the integration of hypermedia into professional development opportunities on elementary teachers' attitudes toward science. In this research, integrating hypermedia had a positive influence on elementary teachers' attitudes toward science and was an integral component of increases in their attitudes toward science. The study provides a foundation for future research related to integrating hypermedia into professional development settings.