About

I am an associate professor in science education in the School of Teaching and Learning. My research agenda extends into two parallel, yet related research areas in science education. In one line, I focus on the development of science teachers' disciplinary content knowledge and their response to professional development. In my other line of research, I investigate pedagogical content knowledge as a framework for shifting practices and heightening teachers' stance toward issues of social justice and their roles in positioning learners who are traditionally underrepresented in science - of special concern, the participation of girls of African descent in science and science-related careers. I therefore operate at the nexus between what knowledge teachers need and how it becomes translated into effective and culturally sustaining practices that challenge assumptions and the status quo and lead to increased participation of all groups of learners in science.

Research Interests

Culturally Responsive Teaching, Culturally Sustainable Pedagogy, Diverse Learners, Gender Issues, Inquiry-Based Science Teaching and Learning, K-20 Science Teaching and Learning, Middle School / Jr. High, Positionality of African American Girls as Science Learners, Primary / Elementary, Science Education, Science Teacher Education and Professional Development, Secondary / High School Transition, Teaching and Licensure

Education

• Ph.D. - Science Education, Florida State University
• M.S. - Science Education, Florida State University
• B.Ed. - Science Education, University of the West Indies
• Dip. Ed. - Secondary Science, Mico Teachers' College

Professional Appointments

• Associate Professor, University of Florida, 2006-Present
• Assistant Professor, University of Florida, 2000-2006

Activities and Honors

• Outstanding Science Teacher Educator of the Year Level 2 from the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE), 2016
• John Shrum Award for excellence and leadership in the education of science teachers from the Southeastern Association of Science Teacher Education (SASTE), 2014
• Mary L. Collins Teacher Educator of the Year Award from the Florida Association of Teacher Educators (FATE), 2014
• William R. Jones Outstanding Mentor Award from the Florida Education Fund, 2014
• Awarded Scholarship of Engagement - School of Teaching and Learning (COE), 2009
• Teacher of the Year, College of Education - University of Florida, 2006

Selected Grants

Selected Publications

• Pringle, R. M. (2020). Researching practitioner inquiry as professional development: Voices from the field of science teaching. Springer International.
• Lowery, R., Pringle, R. M., & Oslick, M. (Eds.). (2019). Land of opportunity: Immigrant experiences in the North American landscape. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield.
• Lowery, R., Oslick, M. & Pringle, R. M. (Eds.). (2019). Immigrant experiences: Expanding the school-home-community dialogue. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield.
• Fang, Z., Lamme, L., & Pringle, R. (2010). Language and literacy in inquiry-based science classrooms, Grades 3-8. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
• King, N., Pringle, R. M., Cordero M. L., & Ridgewell, N. (2020). African American middle school girls in an informal community-based program: Mining rare gems to pursue STEM. In B. Polnick, J. Ballenger, & B. Irby, (Eds.), Girls and women of color in STEM: Navigating the double bind. Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
• Pringle, R. M., Lord, C. G., & Shepard, T. D. (2020). Secondary school STEM learning. In C. Johnson, M. Mohr-Schroeder, T. Moore, & L. English (Eds.), Handbook of research on STEM education. New York, NY: Routledge.
• Lowery, R. M., & Pringle, R. (2019). Voices of Jamaican immigrant parents: Expanding the school-home-community dialogue. In R. M. Lowery, R. M. Pringle, & M. E. Oslick, (Eds.), Land of opportunity: Immigrant experiences in the North American landscape. New York, NY: Rowman and Littlefield.
• Pringle, R., Mesa, J., & Hayes, L. (2020). Meeting the demands of science reforms: A comprehensive professional development for practicing middle school teachers. Research in Science Education, 50, 709-737.
• Mesa, J., & Pringle, R. (2019). Change from within: Middle school science teachers leading professional learning communities. Middle School Journal, 50(5) 5-14.
• Williams, T., Pringle, R. M., & Kilgore, K. (2019). A practitioner's inquiry into vocabulary building strategies for native Spanish speaking ELLs in inquiry-based science. Research in Science Education, 49(4), 989-1000.
• King, N., & Pringle, R. M. (2018). Black girls speak STEM: Counterstories of informal and formal learning experiences. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 56(5), 539-569.
• Pringle, R., Mesa, J., & Hayes, L. (2017). Professional development for middle school science teachers: Does an educative curriculum make a difference? Journal of Science Teacher Education, 28(1), 57-72.