Qualitative Methodology and Action Research in Education at DrawnToScience.org

While taking this year off from teaching Dr. Breslyn worked with the University of Maryland to create the DrawnToScience.org website. The site, part of a National Science Foundation sponsored grant, presents drawings done by teachers detailing how they think about science teacher and learning.

In addition to drawings, the site also presents a detailed qualitative methodology for using drawings to study teaching. Drawings, along with other data sources such as interviews and written text, offer a useful tool to study science teaching and learning. By collecting drawings at the beginning and end of the school year it is possible to detect how teachers’ ideas about science education have changed over time.

In addition to research on science education, the site also has resources for teachers such as lesson plans and support for action research in education using drawings as a source of data.