Secondary Science Teachers’ and Students’ Involvement
in a Primary School Community of Science Practice: How
It Changed Their Practices and Interest in Science
MyScience is a primary science education initiative in which being in a community
of practice is integral to the learning process. In this initiative, stakeholder groups—primary
teachers, primary students and mentors—interact around the ‘domain’ of ‘investigating scientifically’. This paper builds on three earlier publications and interprets the findings of the views
of four secondary science teachers and five year 9 secondary science students who were firsttimer participants—as mentors—in MyScience. Perceptions of these mentors’ interactions with
primary students were analysed using attributes associated with both ‘communities of practice’
and the ‘nature of science’. Findings reveal that participation in MyScience changed secondary
science teachers’ views and practices about how to approach the teaching of science in
secondary school and fostered primary–secondary links. Year 9 students positively changed
their views about secondary school science and confidence in science through participation as
mentors. Implications for secondary science teaching and learning through participation in
primary school community of science practice settings are discussed