03/12/2026
By Zakkiyya Witherspoon

The School of Education invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Olivia Chrzanowski “From Theory To Practice: Increasing Elementary Science Teacher’ Self-Efficacy In Inquiry-Based Learning Through Professional Development: A Chilean Case Study."

Candidate: Olivia Chrzanowski
Degree: Doctoral- Ed.D. Leadership in Schooling, STEM
Defense Date: March 19, 2026
Time: 2:45 p.m.
Location: Via Zoom
Thesis/Dissertation Title: From Theory To Practice: Increasing Elementary Science Teacher’s Self-Efficacy In Inquiry-Based Learning Through Professional Development: A Chilean Case Study

Dissertation Committee

  • Chair: Michelle Scribner, Ed.D., Clinical Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Committee Member: William Goldsworthy, Ed.D., Adjunct Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Abstract
Chilean elementary students experience inequitable access to inquiry-based science instruction when teachers lack the confidence and structured support necessary to facilitate investigative learning. Although national reforms emphasize scientific reasoning and student-centered inquiry, classroom practice often remains teacher-directed, limiting students’ opportunities to develop epistemic agency. Grounded in Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy and improvement science, this Dissertation-in-Practice examined: (1) To what extent does participation in an eight-week collaborative professional development intervention increase fourth-grade teachers’ self-efficacy in implementing inquiry-based science instruction? and (2) How do teachers describe the influence of collaborative co-planning on their self-efficacy? An eight-week Plan–Do–Study–Act (PDSA) cycle was implemented with seven fourth-grade teachers at a private bilingual elementary school in Santiago, Chile. Using a mixed-methods design that included pre- and post-administration of the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument–A (STEBI-A) and semi-structured interviews, results demonstrated a statistically significant 6.5% increase in overall self-efficacy (3.69 to 3.95; p = .004; d = 1.35). Personal Science Teaching Efficacy increased by 7.00%, and six of seven teachers demonstrated growth. Although the 10% improvement target was not fully met, effect sizes indicate meaningful change within a short improvement cycle. Qualitative findings revealed strengthened instructional confidence and increased use of inquiry-based questioning. Strengthening teacher self-efficacy is an equity imperative essential to ensuring that all Chilean elementary students experience science as thinkers and investigators.
Key Words: Inquiry-based learning; teacher self-efficacy; improvement science; PDSA cycle; elementary science education; instructional equity