Teacher Professional Development and Student Reasoning: The Role of Data Presentation and Interpretation Activities in Science Classrooms

This study utilizes data from TIMSS 2019 to examine teachers’ instructional activities, specifically teachers’ practices of asking students to present and interpret data in science classrooms. This study uses the hierarchical linear modeling approach. The results revealed that teachers who asked students to present and interpret data were significantly associated with students’ performance on the science reasoning items in TIMSS 2019. Findings suggest that specific professional developments can promote instructional activities that enhance students’ reasoning, offering actionable insights for science teacher educators designing pre-service and in-service programs. While the findings indicate significant associations, the study’s design does not permit causal inferences about how classroom practices or PD content shape students’ reasoning. Nonetheless, the results have direct implications for teacher educators developing data-rich instructional approaches to improve students’ reasoning in science. Future research should incorporate observational or experimental designs to better understand the mechanisms through which these instructional practices influence student reasoning outcomes.