Transforming science education: A qualitative inquiry into empowering teachers through professional development for effective Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning (CER) integration

Integrating a Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) framework into science education is an important shift to help develop students' critical thinking, inquiry, and scientific discourse. While previous research has indicated several benefits to student outcomes when employed CER, little research has considered how teachers might be systematically supported in implementing CER. This qualitative study examined the necessary components of a professional development program for secondary science teachers adopting the CER model. This research took place at Rancho High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, with ten science teachers participating in the study. Open-ended questionnaires and thematic analysis revealed significant components related to assessment, collaboration, implementation, inquiry, support of leadership, interdisciplinary practices, and application to the world outside of the school. Taken together, the findings identified an urgent need for ongoing, contextualized, collaborative professional development structures to assist teachers to meaningfully embed CER processes into their teaching practice. The study concludes that purposeful professional learning experiences are essential for supporting teachers' development of skills, confidence, and resources for deeper student engagement and critical reasoning in consideration of contemporary curriculum standards. This study contributes valuable insights to enhancing the connection between theory and practice in pedagogy to ensure science lessons remain productive and transformative.