How to tell a constructivist science teacher: An interview protocol to diagnose a constructivist teacher

As a research paradigm, constructivism offers accounts of the epistemology of science, inspires science education curriculum reform programs, underpins major research programs in science education, and is also the foundation of many science-teacher training programs where constructivist teaching methods are widely advocated. Underlying all versions of constructivism are the philosophical constructs of epistemological commitments and ontological beliefs. Specifically, educational constructivism can be divided into individual, radical, and social constructivism depending on the unique ontological, epistemological, and pedagogical commitments for each version. In this article, we present an interview protocol with which researchers can elicit the philosophical foundations (i.e., ontological beliefs and epistemological commitments) that preservice teachers gave to support of their developing notions of several versions of educational constructivism through in-depth interviews. By providing researchers and educators with our interview protocol and methods, we intend to show one way of revealing an individuals often implicitly held philosophical beliefs and commitments. For each ontological and epistemological beliefs subcategory, a detailed definition along with two to three exemplary quotes taken from the interview transcripts from a previous research is also provided. The development of a system of categories for identifying constructivist ideas (i.e., ontological, epistemological, and pedagogical profiles), and its use in tracing of the development of preservice teachers beliefs changes throughout their university coursework, has the potential to contribute to a better understanding of how preservice teachers learn to teach. Accordingly, this interview protocol will be a valuable theoretical and analytical framework in describing the relationship between a teachers beliefs about nature of knowledge (or reality) and his or her conceptions of science teaching and learning. This understanding can lead to a restructuring of the science teacher education program`s methods courses.