Research Study SummaryResearchers Jennifer Fischer-Mueller and Dana Zeidler, in their article A Case Study of Teachers' Beliefs in objectives and practices of contemporary science education, conducted a case study involving science teachers and students in a classroom. Fischer-Mueller and Zeidler attempted to determine whether teachers who believed that science should be taught in the form of inquiry (constructivism) rather than instruction (cognitivism) actually practiced their beliefs in the classroom. The researcher (Fischer-Mueller), teachers, and students in the case study were from Souhegan High School in New Hampshire. The researchers used a qualitative research approach, a case study, to determine “the extent to which teachers believe in contemporary goals and whether classroom practices are changing to support these goals” (Fischer-Mueller & Zeidler, 2002). The instruments used in the case study were: surveys, observations, assessment types reviews and interviews. The survey used was a quantitative instrument to determine the strength of teachers' beliefs in the contemporary goals of science education.ParticipantsThe student population at Souhegan High School ranges from middle class to upper middle class. The Amherst, New Hampshire school is located in an urban or suburban area. A purposive sample of nine teachers formed a group of three teachers who agreed to participate in the study (Fischer-Mueller and Zeidler, 2002). To obtain a relevant sample, the researchers asked nine science teachers to complete the survey on contemporary goals of science education. Study participants were observed in class. Teachers were the focus of the study and the middle of the article......l Analysis. Researchers coded the data looking for patterns to define qualitative design categories. The interviews, also qualitative, were recorded and used by the researchers to clarify teachers' beliefs, refine classroom observation data and used to establish a hypothesis and research question used by Fischer-Mueller and Zeidler (2002) . The role of researchers during interviews is to actively involve teachers without eliciting the desired response. The interviewer should interview teachers to clarify questions raised by the observations and to further probe teachers into their beliefs and classroom practices. Works Cited Fischer-Mueller, J. and Zeidler, DL (Spring 2002). A case study of teachers' beliefs in contemporary science education goals and classroom practices. Science educator, v11, n1, p46-57.