Using goal systems to understand teachers' implementation of innovations

Abstract

When planning and enacting lessons, teachers need to take into account a large variety of goals. It is possible to represent the relations between the different goals and the teaching practice in a so-called goal system. The aim of our study was to explore how goal systems can be used to understand the interpretation and implementation of educational innovations by individual teachers. The study was conducted in the context of a professional development program for biology teachers willing to learn to design context-based lessons. Twelve teachers participated in the program. A laddering interview was used to map out every teacher's goal system. Interviews, lesson plans and thinking aloud pro..