The impact of an online collaborative and reflective professional development program on science teachers' perceptions about the nature of science and instructional practices

This study examines the effects of a teacher professional development (PD) program on science teachers' nature of science (NOS) perception, their instructional practices, and their reflections on collaborative work, learning, and teaching NOS. The theoretical background of the study is Erduran and Dagher's (2014) Reconceptualized Family Resemblance Approach (FRA) to NOS, which has later been termed "RFN" by Kaya and Erduran (2016). The RFN framework encompasses cognitive, epistemic, and social-institutional aspects of science, offering pedagogical strategies and practical applications for science education settings. A multiple case study design was employed. The online PD program, spanning nine weeks with pre- and post-data collection, included three sessions for each workshop: (1) developing theoretical knowledge related to RFN categories through collaborative activities, (2) designing lesson plans in groups, and (3) reflecting on and discussing the implementation of lesson plans. Six science teachers from Istanbul participated in the study. Diverse data sources were used, including pre- and post-visual representations, pre- and post-individual interviews, lesson plans, observation forms, weekly teacher journals, and group discussions. Reflective Drawing Analysis (Barak et al., 2023) was applied to the visual representation data, while qualitative analysis was used for the other data sources. The results indicated that science teachers developed a more sophisticated understanding of RFN categories following the PD program. Teachers effectively translated their NOS understanding into instructional practices, successfully integrating NOS into their lesson plans and teaching. Their reflection on the online collaborative and reflective nature of the online PD program was positive. The study has significant implications for teacher education programs, the design of PD programs, curriculum development, and future research.