Innovative science curricula aim to transform classroom instruction by emphasizing socio-scientific issues (SSI), student-centered inquiry, and culturally relevant pedagogy. Engaging with new and innovative curricula has the potential to stretch teachers’ instructional practices when they fully commit to implementation, challenging them to navigate tensions between their existing approaches and reform-oriented teaching methods. The Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT) and the Interconnected Model of Professional Growth (IMPG) provide a lens for understanding the motivations behind teacher decisions when implementing such curricula and whether these decisions lead to professional learning. This study applies these frameworks to examine how two middle school science teachers, Andrew and Abby, navigated the implementation of the Grand Challenges (GC) curriculum, balancing the perceived costs, values, and challenges of integrating SSI into their instruction. Findings illustrate that teachers’ engagement with innovative curricula is an iterative process influenced by institutional expectations, student outcomes, and evolving pedagogical commitments. This study highlights how sustained curriculum implementation, combined with teacher reflection on student responses, catalyzes professional growth. Their implementation, however, is mediated through their personal domain, as existing beliefs, experiences, and instructional priorities shape how they interpret and enact reform-based teaching. By examining how teachers weigh the utility, cost, and attainment value of new instructional approaches, this research offers insights into supporting educators in adopting innovative science teaching practices while navigating systemic constraints.
Lesnefsky, R. R., Sadler, T. D., & Fortus, D. (2025). Beyond implementation: How teachers reflect, adapt, and grow with an innovative science curriculum. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560X.2025.2551405