The Integration of Preservice Teachers’ Naive and Informed Beliefs about Learning and Teaching

Preservice teacher education students are likely to have acquired naive beliefs about learning and teaching, that need to be integrated with theoretically informed beliefs, if they are to function effectively in classrooms. This study explored the nature of such integration using a sample of Graduate Diploma in Education students engaged in an educational psychology subject which was designed to help students develop constructivist beliefs and approaches to learning. Investigation of students’ journal entries, written statements, and stimulated recall interviews related to videotaped practice teaching sessions, revealed that students were able to integrate prior beliefs with the theoretical content of the course, enabling them to describe, and in some cases, evidence informed conditional knowledge.     

Relational Analysis of College Science‐Major Students’ Epistemological Beliefs Toward Science and Conceptions of Learning Science

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest among educational researchers in exploring the relationships between learners’ epistemological beliefs and their conceptions of learning. This study was conducted to investigate these relationships particularly in the domain of science. The participants in this study included 407 Taiwanese college science‐major students. All of them responded to two major questionnaires, one assessing their scientific epistemological beliefs (SEBs) and the other one probing their conceptions of learning science (COLS). The SEB questionnaire included four factors: “certainty,” “source,” “development,” and “justification” of science knowledge. The COLS survey consisted of six factors in a hierarchical order, that is, learning science as “memorizing,” “preparing for tests,” “calculating and practicing,” “increasing one’s knowledge,” “application,” and “understanding and seeing in a new way.” The students’ confidence and interest toward learning science were also assessed by additional questionnaire items. Stepwise regression analyses, in general, showed coherence between students’ SEBs and their COLS, indicating that the sophistication of SEBs was consistent with less agreement with lower‐level COLS (such as “memorizing” and “preparing for tests”) as well as more agreement with higher‐level COLS (such as “understanding and seeing in a new way”). However, the SEB’s “justification” factor was positively related to almost all of COLS factors from the lower‐level to higher‐level. This study finally found that among all of the SEB and COLS factors, the “preparing for tests” factor in COLS was the solely significant variable for predicting students’ interest in science and confidence toward learning science.     

Science Teachers’ Beliefs about the Influence of their Summer Research Experiences on their Pedagogical Practices

This study sought to determine the beliefs that tenured, in-service high school science teachers hold about how their participation in a large mid-Atlantic university’s 6-week summer research experiences for teachers (RET) program might influence their pedagogical practices. The findings show a number of factors that teachers believed helped them to be successful during their summer RET program that center on science content knowledge, laboratory experiences, cognitive skills, and mentor dispositions. Teachers further believed that the successes they experienced during their summer RET program influenced how they would plan to teach their own students science. The findings suggest that having science teachers conduct research might help to facilitate changes in their beliefs about their pedagogical practices.     

Connecting Teacher Beliefs to the Use of Children’s Literature in the Teaching of Mathematics

This article presents examples that illustrate how teachers use childrens literature in the teaching of mathematics. The examples are related to four curriculum ideologies that have influenced mathematics education in the USA for the last 75 years. It discusses why it is relevant to help teachers understand the ideological positions that influence their use of childrens literature during mathematics instruction, summarizes the four ideological positions, and presents results of a study of how teachers ideological positions relate to their use of childrens literature in the teaching of mathematics. The study examines two research questionsCan an instructional tool be developed that will highlight for teachers the different ways in which they and others use childrens literature to teach mathematics? and Can that instructional tool stimulate teacher discussion and reflection about their own beliefs and the ideological nature of the instructional environment in which they learned (as students) and teach (as teachers)? Study results indicate that both questions can be answered in the affirmative.     

Do Pre-service Chemistry Teachers Reflect their Beliefs about Constructivism in their Teaching Practices?

This study aimed to explore pre-service chemistry teachers’ beliefs about constructivism and the influence of their beliefs in their teaching practice. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were carried out with eight pre-service teachers in order to understand their belief structures. Pre-service teachers’ beliefs about constructivism were classified in three categories which are weak, moderate, and strong conceptions of constructivism. For detailed exploration, three cases of pre-service teachers representing these three categories were selected. The findings of this study showed that most pre-service teachers in this study did not have a strong conception of constructivism and the relationship between the pre-service teachers’ beliefs and their practice was not clear-cut.     

Adults’ Learning about Science in Free‐choice Settings

This paper synthesizes findings from three studies to answer a general question: What do casual, adult visitors learn about science from their science‐related experiences in free‐choice settings? Specifically we asked whether there are changes in how people think about science in their daily lives, the nature and use of scientific knowledge, and its communication by scientists. The three studies involved samples of visitors to an interactive science centre, visitors to a traditional natural history museum, and attendees at a series of public lectures, each given by an expert scientist in human genetics. Pretest and post‐test data collected by parallel questionnaires indicated that, despite the different nature of their experience in the three different settings, participants became more positive about the value of science and the work done by scientists and their ability to communicate with the public. At all venues, however, participants became less scientific in their thinking about the nature of scientific knowledge, becoming more likely to believe it to be infallible. The consistency of these findings was surprising, and participants’ changed views about the nature of scientific knowledge were unexpected. Possible explanations for theses outcomes were suggested in terms of participants’ reasons for attending the venue, the nature of their engagement, and the non‐controversial ways in which the exhibitions and lectures were structured. The findings suggest that the educational role of free‐choice settings should be considered carefully, particularly with regard to the representation of science.     

Stability and Change in Student Teachers’ Beliefs about Teaching

This study examined whether teachers prioritize the use of technology. More specifically, this paper focused on how Turkish teachers think about the importance of technology and technological tools for their daily routines. The research design employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. The data were collected through document analyses, interviews, and a survey. The results showed that the following factors lead teachers to prioritize the use of technology in the classroom: (a) globalization, (b) society’s needs, (c) technological literacy, (d) student learning, and (e) practicability.     

Complexity Science and Education: Reconceptualizing the Teacher’s Role in Learning

This writing is structured around the question, "What is teaching?" Drawing on complexity science, we first seek to demonstrate the tremendously conflicted character of contemporary discussions of teaching. Then we offer two examples of teaching that we use to illustrate the assertion that what teaching is can never be reduced to or understood in terms of what the teacher does or intends. Rather, teaching must be understood in terms of its complex contributions to new, as-yet-unimaginable collective possibilities.     

The Effects of Incorporating Web‐assisted Learning with Team Teaching in Seventh‐grade Science Classes

Due to the implementation of a 9‐year integrated curriculum scheme in Taiwan, research on team teaching and web‐based technology appears to be urgent. The purpose of this study was incorporated web‐assisted learning with team teaching in seventh‐grade science classes. The specific research question concerned student performance and attitudes about the teaching method. Two certified science teachers and four classes of the seventh graders participated in this study. It used a mixed methods design, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The main data included students’ scores, questionnaires, teachers’ self‐reflections, and the researcher’s interviews with teachers. The results showed that the average final examination scores of students experiencing the experimental teaching method were higher than that of those receiving traditional teaching. The two teaching methods showed significant difference in respect of students’ achievement. The research had limitations because of students’ abilities of data collection, computer use, and discussion, but more than one‐half of the students preferred the experimental method to traditional teaching. However, team teachers would encounter the problems of technology ability, time constraints, and entrance examination pressure.     

Exploring Elementary Pre-service Teachers’ Beliefs About Science Teaching and Learning as Revealed in Their Metaphor Writing

This study examined elementary preservice teachers’ beliefs about the role/image of a science teacher and science teaching and how these beliefs change during an elementary science methods course; this examination was conducted through an analysis of their metaphor writing. Data included personal metaphors and rationale papers for supporting them collected from 106 participants at the start and end of the semester. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method and also quantified for statistical analysis. Results indicate that most participants came to the course with traditional views and developed more constructivist views during the course. However, they tended to keep their traditional views and added new constructivist perspectives into their original belief systems. This study suggests that metaphor writing can be used as both a reflection tool for preservice teachers to clarify and refine their beliefs about science teaching and learning and a diagnostic assessment tool for teacher educators to understand their students for tailoring a methods course accordingly.     

Spanish Science Teacher Educators’ Preparation,Experiences, and Views About Nature of Science in Science Education

Science & Education - The obstacles and difficulties that science teachers face when teaching the nature of science (NOS) are well-known. Nonetheless, little is known of what science teacher...     

The Pedagogical Implication of the Internet in English Teaching and Learning

Over the past few years, the Intemet has emerged as a prominent new technology. As the use of the Intemet is widespread in numerous fields and domains, without a doubt, it also carries great potential for educational use, specifically second and foreign language education. This paper will therefore try to explore the issue of the Intemet as a teaching aid, or as a teaching medium for English teaching and learning in China, through focusing on the following aspects： 1） the current state of CALL in China; 2） pedagogical benefits of the Intemet in English teaching and learning; 3） its implication in English classrocrn in China.     

Learning about Inheritance in an Out‐of‐School Setting

The purpose of this study was to investigate primary students’ learning through participation in an out‐of‐school enrichment programme, held in a science centre, which focused on DNA and genes and whether participation in the programme led to an increased understanding of inheritance as well as promoted interest in the topic. The sample consisted of two groups (245 students in the experimental group and 150 students in the control group) of upper primary students (Grade 5) from six schools in Singapore. Two instruments were developed—a 15‐item multiple‐choice test to measure learning gains and a 17‐item survey form to measure student feedback. Pre‐, post‐, and delayed post‐tests were administered. Results showed statistically significant gains in learning for the experimental group that appeared to be stable as well as high levels of interest stimulated by the programme.     

On the Roots of Difficulties in Learning about Cell Division: Process‐based analysis of students’ conceptual development in teaching experiments

Empirical investigations on students’ conceptions of cell biology indicate major misunderstandings of scientific concepts even after thorough teaching. Therefore, the main aim of our research project was to investigate students’ difficulties in learning this topic and to study the impact of learning activities on students’ conceptions. Using the Model of Educational Reconstruction, a four‐phase design was carried out. Firstly, there was the clarification of science subject matter. Secondly, students’ conceptions were investigated, and finally, the learning activities were designed. An evaluation of these learning activities was carried out using five teaching experiments, each with three 9^th grade students (15–16 years, Grammar school). Interpretation of students’ “pathways of thinking” and their conceptual change during instruction was framed theoretically by experiential realism. Theoretical framework, methods and outcomes of the study may contribute to a deeper understanding of students’ ways of thinking in the field of cell biology and reveal the process of conceptual development by using well planned learning activities.     

Cortes' Multicultural Empowerment Model and¯Generative Teaching and Learning in Science

Using Cortes' Multicultural Empowerment Model as a guide, and a moderate rational, realist philosophical framework (somewhat broadened by a postmodern perspective), I adapt the Cortes' model to science teaching and to Wittrock's Model of Generative Learning and Teaching in science. My goal is to develop and demonstrate a balanced multicultural approach to teaching children of different ethnic cultures about the nature of science – one that both values and teaches their cultures and beliefs, while moving them towards important mainstream notions of good science. I justify the Cortes model by comparing it to other major multicultural approaches. I then interweave Cortes' notion of multicultural empowerment with Wittrock's generative attributes, using a lesson about plants as an example. The intent is to succeed not only in having all children learn science, but also learn about science.     

Conceptual Blending Monitoring Students’ Use of Metaphorical Concepts to Further the Learning of Science

Research in Science Education - The aim of this study is to explore how tertiary science students’ use of metaphors in their popular science article writing may influence their understanding...     

Teacher Learning and Collaborative Action Research: Generating a “Knowledge-of-Practice” in the Context of Science Education

In this case study, teacher inquiry groups from 3 school districts engaged and transformed various facets of their professional knowledge and practice in the context of science education. To examine the nature of teacher learning, a 3-part teacher knowledge and learning framework, proposed by Cochran-Smith and Lytle in 1999, was adopted (knowledge-for-practice, knowledge-in-practice, and knowledge-of-practice). While 16 school-based inquiry groups participated in the collaborative action research project, one case study involving a primary teacher, Katrina, is highlighted to illustrate outcomes related to the role of collaborative inquiry in supporting teacher learning, contextual issues and concerns that impact teachers’ daily classroom practice, and the types of knowledge generated by teachers within collaborative inquiry communities.     

Cypriot Pre-Service Kindergarten Teachers’ Beliefs and Intensions about the Importance of Teacher/Child Interactions

Although a host of research has explored the association between beliefs and practices, limited research has been conducted exploring the association between beliefs and intensions. The present study aimed to explore Cypriot pre-service kindergarten teachers’ self-reported beliefs and intensions about the importance of teacher/child interactions and the relationship between them. Interaction has been chosen to be the focus of the present study due to the fact that research results indicate that one of the most important indicators of the quality of early childhood education and care is sensitive and responsive caregiving. Research results indicated that participating pre-service kindergarten teachers favor sensitive and appropriate caregiving. Thus, beliefs have been found to predict the sample’s intensions.     

Concept Development and Transfer in Context‐Based Science Education

‘Context‐based courses’ are increasingly used in an address to the major challenges that science education currently faces: lack of clear purpose, content overload, incoherent learning by students, lack of relevance to students, and lack of transfer of learning to new contexts. In this paper, four criteria for the design of context‐based courses that would be successful in meeting these challenges are rehearsed. It is concluded that only a model based on ‘context as social circumstances’ would meet the four criteria for success. From this, the notion of concept development is presented based on the idea of the production of coherent mental maps. The notion of transfer is discussed in terms of how such mental maps may be useful for understanding other contexts. The definitions of concept development and transfer give a clearer view of how exemplars of existing context‐based approaches may be analysed to show their degree of facilitation of worthwhile science education. Research questions to be addressed in such analyses are presented.