In recent years, student interest in science in Australia, has seen a steady decline. According to the 2001 report The Status and Quality of Teaching and Learning in Australian Schools by Denis Goodrum, Mark Hackling, and Léonie Rennie, students—especially those at the high school level—do not feel engaged or challenged by the science curriculum. "When students move to high school, many experience disappointment, because the science they are taught is neither relevant nor engaging and does not connect with their interests and experiences. Traditional chalk-and-talk teaching, copying notes, and 'cookbook' practical lessons offer little challenge or excitement to students. Disenchantment with science is reflected in the declining numbers of students who take science subjects in the post-compulsory years of schooling," the report states.
According to the study, not only do students feel frustrated with science classes and the current curriculum, the teachers also feel disenchanted and discouraged. Goodman, Hackling and Rennie explain, "Many science teachers feel undervalued, under-resourced and overloaded with non-teaching duties." Emerging science teachers in the region do not always have access to strong professional development resources or training, according to the study. "University science teacher education is under-resourced and close to crisis," the report states.
While teacher training and the lack of support for struggling science teachers is a problem across the nation, science teachers in Tasmania, a remote Australian island, are very deeply affected by the lack of professional development resources. In 2006, as a part of a national initiative called Science, information and communication technology (ICT) and Mathematics Education in Rural and Regional (SiMERR) Australia, faculty from the University of Tasmania (UTAS), created the Supporting Secondary Science Teachers pilot program. This program provides professional development support for Tasmanian secondary science teachers using ICT. The initiative was analyzed in the report "Supporting and Resourcing Secondary Science Teachers in Rural and Regional Schools" in Teaching Science.
Participating science teachers receive a science kit, CD-ROMs containing resources, access to a Web site containing additional materials, and a support contact from UTAS. The materials allow educators to work independently while still having access to tools and colleagues who can offer advice on implementing special projects with their classes.
In 2007, seven Tasmanian educators were invited to participate in the The Water Looks OK, But Is It? project, which focused on the use of brine shrimp, better known as "sea monkeys," to indicate water quality. Students and teachers bred the brine shrimp and placed the shrimp in different solutions containing pyrethrum. Depending on the shrimps' survival rates, students and teachers could measure the quality of the water they were kept in. Throughout the duration of the project, teachers had access to the professional development materials provided by UTAS staff.
Two of the goals of the project were to see how useful the science kits and resources were and to see what practices work best for providing professional development to teachers in rural and remote areas. After the project was complete, a qualitative study was conducted that included interviewing and surveying the participating teachers to determine if the professional development materials were useful. Of the seven participating teachers, six gave feedback.
The study found that only four of the teachers actually attempted the trial project and that all four felt the resources and the science kit were helpful. Despite their appreciation for the materials, most of the teachers ran into problems while conducting the experiment. Most of the problems were associated with the breeding of the brine shrimp. One teacher successfully used the science kit to breed them, and another was able to receive a live shrimp from his or her support contact.
When asked what could be improved upon in this project, the teachers said they needed more time to become familiar with the available resources. All four who used the materials agreed that a formal professional development session at the beginning of the project would have been helpful. Other requests included a DVD or PowerPoint explaining the project and a less restrictive timetable.
The study concludes that a lack of confidence about and awareness of the resources was the main barrier in the project and also that having more structured professional development training at the start of project and access to better scientific equipment and technology could help remove some of the obstacles. According to Supporting and Resourcing Secondary Science Teachers, the pilot program has helped provide insight into the special needs of science teachers in this region. Professional developers continue to struggle to find the most effective ways to serve Tasmanian teachers, where it is difficult to build professional relationships and provide ongoing support. The report states, studies show "the most effective PD is ongoing, relationship-based, occurs close to where the teachers work, and encourages the sharing of ideas. This dilemma warrants further consideration." The report calls for further research on the best ways to provide support to teachers who want to improve their practice and are seeking effective training and support.
