Exploring the tension between fidelity and flexibility in research-informed primary science professional development

Earle, S ORCID: 0000-0002-6155-1098 (2026) 'Exploring the tension between fidelity and flexibility in research-informed primary science professional development.' Research in Science Education. doi: 10.1007/s11165-026-10382-1

Abstract

The ‘What Works’ agenda promoted by policy-makers in England, seeks out programmes whose impact can be measured by a randomised control trial (RCT) and then delivered at scale. This raises the question of how much a professional development programme can be ‘rolled out’ in a static form, ‘delivered’ to in-service teachers with fidelity to the iteration that was tested in an RCT, whilst also allowing for the flexibility needed by agentic teachers to adapt for the learners in their context. Rigid fidelity may result in replication of strategies that do not address local needs, whilst the broadest flexibility could lead to adaptations that are no longer research-informed. This tension is explored within this paper through close examination of Focus4TAPS, an RCT-tested primary science professional development programme. Teacher reflections (n = 370) from the ongoing national roll-out of the programme were qualitatively analysed, with findings explored through the lens of fidelity to ‘procedure’ and ‘goal’, finding evidence for both within the sample. It is proposed that to balance fidelity to the programme and flexibility for local needs; a principled flexibility should be the aim, where evaluation seeks fidelity to the ‘goal’ of the programme, rather than replication of a script. With explicit discussion about adaptations, teacher agency is enabled and formative use of assessment supported.

Item Type:	Article
UN SDGs:	Goal 4: Quality Education
Keywords:	professional development, primary science, fidelity, teacher agency, in-service teachers, formative assessment
Subjects:	L Education > L Education (General) L Education > LB Theory and practice of education L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1501 Primary Education
Divisions:	School of Education and Humanities
Research Centres and Groups:	Centre for Research in Scientific and Technological Learning and Education (CRiSTLE)
Date Deposited:	30 Sep 2026 16:43
Last Modified:	30 Sep 2026 16:43
ISSN:	0157-244X
URN:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/17951

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