High School Physics Teachers’ Conceptions about Teaching: The Ideal Versus Enacted

Abstract

This paper reports on four New Zealand physics teachers’ conceptions about teaching and how these related to their teaching practices. A case study method was employed. Interviews and observations provided data that was analysed using a cross-case thematic approach. The study identified and described each teacher’s conceptions about teaching physics as well as the system enablers or constraints that influenced how these were implemented. We propose that until assessment changes from a heavy emphasis on conceptual understanding to assessing inquiry and problem-solving skills, teachers will continue to be constrained by the assessment system and rightly so, align their teaching approaches to what is valued by the system