Factors Affecting Science Teaching Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

How to Help Teachers Develop Inquiry Teaching: Perspectives from Experienced Science Teachers

This study has two purposes: the first is to explore experienced science teachers’ perspectives on inquiry teaching, and the second is to categorize these perspectives into patterns. Fifteen junior high school science teachers experienced at inquiry teaching were selected, and a semi-structured interview was conducted to collect the teachers’ perspectives on inquiry and inquiry teaching. The findings indicate that these experienced science teachers hold multiple perspectives on inquiry and inquiry teaching. The two patterns generated from these teachers’ perspectives of inquiry and inquiry teaching were systematic-based inquiry instruction and learning-based inquiry instructions. Suggestions for science teacher educators are discussed in this paper.     

Sustaining Reform-Based Science Teaching of Preservice and Inservice Elementary School Teachers

This study examined the influence of a professional development program based around commercially available inquiry science curricula on the teaching practices of 27 beginning elementary school teachers and their teacher mentors over a 2 year period. A quantitative rubric used to score inquiry elements and use of data in videotaped lessons indicated that education students assigned to inquiry-based classrooms during their methods course or student teaching year outperformed students without this experience. There was also a significant positive effect of multi-year access to the kit-based program on mentor teaching practice. Recent inclusion of a “writing in science” program in both preservice and inservice training has been used to address the lesson element that received lowest scores—evaluation of data and its use in scientific explanation.     

Looking Through Different Lenses: How Preservice Science Teachers Use Practice-Oriented Reflections to Negotiate More Reform-Minded Identities

This study used identity as a framework to understand how preservice science teachers develop the reform-minded ideas inherent in science-specific reforms. Six participants systematically reflected about their reform-based and field lessons taught during a methods course and field lessons taught during student teaching. Patterns in their reflections revealed five different lenses they used to propose changing their practices and negotiate the dissonances those proposals created with their core conceptions about teaching. The extent to which participants expressed reform-minded thinking and enacted science-specific reforms in the field was associated with how they used the lenses to resolve dissonances. The findings suggest why preservice teachers need explicit opportunities to engage in work to cultivate the reform-minded identities required to enact science-specific reforms.     

如何开展有质量的教育科学研究

当前,各级政府和社会公众对教育都寄予了很高期望,然而如何提供优质教育,不但需要创新的实践,也需要深入的研究为支撑.为进一步提高课题研究质量,加强科研管理服务,2010年1月20至21日.中央电大"十一五"规划课题培训会在湖南省长沙市召开.此次培训会的创新形式就是引入实例现场答辩,湖南广播电视大学赵建军结合"广播电视大学加快精品课程建设研究"课题.(2008年中央电大重点课题)做了结题报告,四川广播电视大学黄霖结合"中国开放大学办学功能定位研究"课题(2010年中央电大重点课题)做了开题报告,并接受在座专家及同行的提问.全国教育科学规划领导小组办公室常务副主任曾天山研究员结合上述开题报告、结题报告,利用详实的数据论述了我国当前教育科研的现状、问题,并就如何开展有质量的教育科学研究提出了中肯的建议,即需要提倡理论联系实际;制度上进行创新,避免低水平重复;加强定量研究;建立研究基地,避免研究不系统、不深入;重视研究过程;注重学术规范等.本刊特意整理该报告,以飨读者,希望无论对于教育科学领域的学者、一线教师,还是对于各级科研管理工作者都能有一定的启示,从而更好地推动与促进扎根于中国现实的有质量、有分量、有效益、有影响的教育科学研究.     

Assessment of Science Teaching Efficacy of Preservice Teachers in an Australian University

Research investigating science teaching efficacy was conducted in 1 Australian university. A sample of 314 elementary preservice teachers responded to the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI; L. G. Enochs & I. M. Riggs, 1990), which assesses 2 teaching efficacy dimensions: Personal Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs (PSTEB) and Science Teaching Outcome Expectancy (STOE). Confirmatory factor analysis substantiated this 2-factor structure. The use of this instrument revealed that the completion of 2 science teaching subjects within the preservice program had a significant effect on the PSTEB, but not the STOE. Similarly, the number of high school science subjects studied by these elementary preservice teachers had a significant effect on PSTEB, but not STOE. However, neither gender nor the particular high school science subjects studied by these elementary preservice teachers had a significant effect on either the PSTEB or the STOE.     

浅析如何做好职专班主任工作

职业中专学校是实施中职教育,培养初级应用性人才的基地和场所。班主任工作的好坏,对教学质量有着不可轻视的作用,对学生健康成长、成熟、顺利就业起着举足轻重的作用。职业中专班主任的工作在很多方面与普通高中有所不同,有其特殊性。     

Nurturing Confidence in Preservice Elementary Science Teachers

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in personal science teaching self-efficacy (PSTE), outcome expectancy (STOE), and science conceptual understanding and relationships among these in preservice teachers. Seventy preservice teachers enrolled in science teaching methods courses participated in this study. PSTE, STOE, and science conceptual understanding increased significantly during participation in the course. The study established that novice learners with minimal prior knowledge couldn't be expected to understand and employ core concepts in their learning schema without extensive guidance. The relationship between science learning confidence and science teaching confidence has not been theoretically delineated in the area of science teacher education. Findings suggest that there may be important connections between the two for preservice teachers that would be fruitful areas for future research.     

Nurturing Confidence in Preservice Elementary Science Teachers

This study examined changes in personal science teaching self-efficacy (PSTE), outcome expectancy (STOE), and science conceptual understanding and relationships among these in preservice teachers. Seventy preservice teachers enrolled in science teaching methods courses participated in this study. PSTE, STOE, and science conceptual understanding increased significantly during participation in the course. The study established that novice learners with minimal prior knowledge could not be expected to understand and employ core concepts in their learning schema without extensive guidance. The relationship between science learning confidence and science teaching confidence has not been theoretically delineated in the area of science teacher education. Findings suggest there may be important connections between the 2 for preservice teachers that would be fruitful areas for future research.     

Teaching Preservice Teachers to Read the Discourse of School Reform

In this article, I argue for redesigned preservice teacher education courses that provide opportunities for teaching students to read the discourse of school reform, especially in terms of how that discourse both restricts and builds capacity for the kinds of teachers they want to become. Drawing from the experiences of three preservice teachers who opted out of teaching, I attempt to show how their experiences intersected with my own journey from experimentalist training into critical hermeneutic work and, more recently, into policy and editorial arenas to produce sites in which to explore the discourse of current reform efforts in literacy education in the United States.     

Science Teaching Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers: Examination of the Multiple Factors Reported as Influential

This study explores the science teaching efficacy beliefs of pr-service elementary teachers and the relationship between efficacy beliefs and multiple factors such as antecedent factors (participation in extracurricular activities and number of science and science teaching methods courses taken), conceptual understanding, classroom management beliefs and science teaching attitudes. Science education majors (n?=?71) and elementary education majors (n?=?262) were compared with respect to these variables. Finally, the predictors of two constructs of science teaching efficacy beliefs, personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE) and science teaching outcome expectancy (STOE), were examined by multiple linear regression analysis. According to the results, participation in extracurricular activities has a significant but low correlation with science concept knowledge, science teaching attitudes, PSTE and STOE. In addition, there is a small but significant correlation between science concept knowledge and outcome expectancy, which leads the idea that preservice elementary teachers’ conceptual understanding in science contributes to their science teaching self-efficacy. This study reveals a moderate correlation between science teaching attitudes and STOE and a high correlation between science teaching attitudes and PSTE. Additionally, although the correlation coefficient is low, the number of methodology courses was found to be one of the correlates of science teaching attitudes. Furthermore, students of both majors generally had positive self-efficacy beliefs on both the STOE and PSTE. Specifically, science education majors had higher science teaching self-efficacy than elementary education majors. Regression results showed that science teaching attitude is the major factor in predicting both PSTE and STOE for both groups.     

Using Science Teaching Case Narratives to Evaluate the Level of Acceptance of Scientific Inquiry Teaching in Preservice Elementary Teachers

The National Science Education Standards have outlined flexible processes children perform when engaging in scientific inquiry. Cases narratives are a common component of many university science education courses but rarely are they used as a tool to evaluate the preservice teachers within these courses. This article describes the construction of a positive and negative science teaching case narrative. These case narratives can be used to evaluate the level of acceptance of scientific inquiry teaching in preservice elementary teachers.     

Hopes and Fears for Science Teaching: The Possible Selves of Preservice Teachers in a Science Education Program

Given the high attrition rate of beginning science teachers, it is imperative to better prepare science preservice teachers, so that they can be successful during the early years of their teaching. The purpose of this study was to explore science preservice teachers’ views of themselves as a future teacher, in particular their hopes and fears for science teaching and the experiences that help to shape their possible selves. Employed were qualitative methods, which included open-ended surveys and face-to-face interviews. Eleven preservice teachers who enrolled in a secondary science teacher preparation program participated. Findings showed six categories of future selves with the most frequent category being for effective/ineffective science teaching. When their hoped-for and feared selves were not balanced, participants articulated more fears. Regarding the primary influence in shaping their hopes and fears, diverse past experiences related to teaching and learning appeared to be more salient factors than science teacher education program. Given the enriched understanding of the science preservice teachers’ perceptions, we provided suggestions for science teacher educators.     

当前中学化学教师如何做学科教育研究

当前,中学化学教师对学科教育研究存在诸多误解,对如何进行学科教育研究感到迷茫。在调查访谈一线中学化学教师的基础上,针对当前中学化学教师对如何做学科教育研究存在的典型的误解进行澄清,并就如何进行学科教育研究给出了建议。     

Using a Conceptual-Change Approach to Help Preservice Science Teachers Reorganize Their Knowledge Structures for Constructivist Teaching

This study, based on constructivist learning theory, examined how effectively preservice chemistry teachers (N = 43) can be educated to think flexibly and to reorganize their thinking in a way that may complement diverse ways students approach the subject domain. The teacher's cognitive structure was assessed prior to and after a conceptual change intervention using flow-map narrative analyses. There was a significant change in the organization of the preservice teacher's narrative after the conceptual change intervention, including greater networking of ideas and more thematic development of the content. Hence, a conceptual change approach may be a useful way to educate teachers to be more responsive to student individual differences when planning and delivering science lessons.     

Daycare Book-a-thon: Preservice Teachers Enhancing the Reading Experience of Preschool Children

Daycare Book-a-thon is a project that targets at-risk preschoolers, providing them with books their parents can share with them at home. Preservice teachers in a children's literature class donate the books and prepare bookmarks, which highlight ways that parents can read and extend the books with their children. Through this activity, preservice teachers come to understand the diverse student population and learn ways they can help young children to prepare for schools.     

职前数学教师如何应对学生的概率错误

概率是中国中小学课程的重要组成部分.学生对概率的学习往往存在诸多困难,这也使得教师面临许多挑战.教师要学会诊断和利用学生在不同情境中出现的错误,帮助学生更好地认识和理解概率.通过设计一个有关概率的情境问题,对48名职前数学教师的数学教学知识进行了测试,结果表明:(1)尽管职前教师都能求出情境中的概率,但是仅有少数能真正解释学生的错误;(2)职前教师对学生错误的解释,会直接影响他们教学设计的水平.     

Elementary Preservice Teachers' Struggles to Define Inquiry-Based Science Teaching

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Virtual Reality: a Tool for Preservice Science Teachers to Put Theory into Practice

Journal of Science Education and Technology - The purpose of the present study was to investigate, compare, and characterize interactive VR-based preservice science teacher clinical teaching...