Change of Teacher Beliefs, But Not Practices, Following Integration of Immersive Virtual Environment in the Classroom

Abstract

Immersive virtual environments (IVEs) model scientific inquiry practices and can provide rich learning experiences for students. However, the teacher is an essential component of how the students engage with the technology, as they embed the IVE into everyday teaching and learning. Ideally, classroom pedagogies would reflect the scientific practices modeled in the IVE to the best extent possible. In this case study, we explore how one teacher enacted authentic scientific practices after 3 years of IVE implementations plus participation in the corresponding professional development (PD) experience. Although the teacher believed that the inquiry practices modeled in the IVE and the PD were an important part of his teaching, these beliefs were not transferred into practice. Our findings suggest that PD should include opportunities for teachers to reflect on their own practice integrating technology and consider external factors contributing to pedagogical change beyond PD.