Comparing Three Attitude-Behavior Theories for Predicting Science Teachers’ Intentions

Social psychologists’ attitude-behavior theories can contribute to understanding science teachers’ behaviors. Such understanding can, in turn, be used to improve professional development. This article describes leading attitude-behavior theories and summarizes results from past tests of these theories. A study predicting science teachers’ intention to incorporate environmental risk education based on these theories is also reported. Data for that study were collected through a mail questionnaire (n1⁄4 1336, radjusted1⁄4 80%) and analyzed using confirmatory factor and multiple regression analysis. All determinants of intention to act in the Theory of Reasoned Action and Theory of Planned Behavior and some determinants in the Theory of Trying predicted science teachers’ environmental risk education intentions. Given the consistency of results across studies, the Theory of Planned Behavior augmented with past behavior is concluded to provide the best attitude-behavior model for predicting science teachers’ intention to act. Thus, science teachers’ attitude toward the behavior, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norm need to be enhanced to modify their behavior. Based on the Theory of Trying, improving their attitude toward the process and toward success, and expectations of success may also result in changes. Future research should focus on identifying determinants that can further enhance the ability of these theories to predict and explain science teachers’ behaviors. 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 39: 819–844, 2002 Science teachers influence what students are taught and how they are taught, and thus are key to student achievement (Tobin, 1998). Current education reform efforts recognize how critical science teachers are to meeting content and pedagogy goals (Bybee & Ben-Zvi, 1998). Moreover, it is acknowledged that the significant modifications in practice that are needed will be difficult to attain because science teachers, like the rest of us, are likely to be resistant to change (Lumpe, Haney, & Czerniak, 2000). Contract grant sponsor: Office of Sea Grant, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Contract grant number: 1N89AA-D-SG083 Contract grant sponsor: State of Michigan Correspondence to: M. Zint; E-mail: [email protected] DOI 10.1002/tea.10047 Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. So how can science education reform and other needed changes in science teachers’ practices be fostered? As suggested by science education investigators as early as Koballa (1986, 1989) and Crawley (1988, 1990) and as recently as Haney, Czerniak, and Lumpe (1996) and Lumpe, Haney, and Czerniak (1998a, 1998b) such changes can be achieved by learning why teachers behave the way they do, and then designing professional development programs in ways that target these determinants (Haney & Lumpe, 1995). For this purpose, and similar to others interested in understanding human behavior, these and other science education investigators have turned to social psychology’s attitude-behavior theories, guided primarily by the theory of reasoned action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975; Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980; Fishbein, 1980) and expanded by theories that seek to overcome its boundaries such as the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985, 1991) and trying (Bagozzi & Warshaw, 1990). According to these theories, behavior change is brought about by modifying individuals’ intention to act. Changes in intention to act are brought about by influencing the immediate determinants of intention to act, which are in turn brought about by influencing underlying beliefs (Figure 1). The importance of targeting science educators’ beliefs to change their teaching behaviors has been recognized in many science education contexts (Tobin, Tippins, & Gallard, 1994). The attitude-behavior theories reviewed here indicate how changes in science teachers’ beliefs can lead to modifications in science teachers’ behaviors.