How Are the Novice Getting to Be the Expert? : A Preliminary Case Study on Japanese Science Teachers

Most of comparative studies in science teacher education so far have been conducted in terms of teacher education policy, pre- and in-service training system and curriculum, and certificate system. While such superficial information can be readily obtainable, it does not necessarily enable us to make access to reality of science teachers' professional development in respective countries, because practice in professional development among science teachers is deeply embedded into respective socio-cultural environment or climate. In order to get information on reality in science teachers' professional development, alternative approaches of research should be developed. This paper aims at pursuing an alternative way to approach reality of Japanese science teachers' professional development. An email survey of free description method with 29 in-service science teachers with a variety of years of experience in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, revealed that Japanese science teachers have developed their expertise through very close daily-based communication with their peer science teachers. At least, within their consciousness, neither formal in-service training programs, nor pre-service training programs have had much stronger effects on their professional development than such non-formal, daily-based, deep, apprenticeship-typed or in some sense, family-typed communication. The results suggest that in order to conduct meaningful comparative studies, we should take much more attention to how to make access to reality of science teachers' professional development.