The Impact of a Summer Camp-Based Science Methods Course on Preservice Teachers’ Self-Efficacy in Teaching Science as Inquiry

This research examines the impact of a science methods course on the beliefs of female pre-service teachers (PSTs) in Saudi Arabia. Forty-seven female PSTs enrolled in a diploma of education programme at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU) took a 16-week science methods course aimed at promoting their beliefs about their own self-efficacy, science teaching strategies, and science content knowledge (SCK). The PSTs completed a 30-item questionnaire on science teaching beliefs (five- point Likert Scale) both before and after taking the course. Data analysis revealed that the PSTs’ beliefs regarding their own self-efficacy changed after the course (statistically significant t=2.792, p 0.01) with scores indicating increased beliefs. Although increases were also observed for beliefs regarding science teaching methods and strategies and science content knowledge, they were very slight and not statistically significant. Overall, mean scores fell within the ‘neither agree nor disagree’ category for all three themes, ranging from 2.98 to 3.24. As one of the first studies in Saudi Arabia on PSTs’ science teaching beliefs, this research filled a gap in the existing literature. Grounded in the moderate scores for all three themes, recommendations for future science education course design are tendered as are suggestions for future research.

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Examining Hispanic Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of Scientists in a Science Methods Course

International Journal on Studies in Education ◽

10.46328/ijonse.62 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 70-87

Author(s):

William Medina-Jerez ◽

Kyndra Middleton

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

Intervention Strategy ◽

Border Region ◽

Teacher Preparation Program ◽

Methods Course ◽

Science Methods ◽

Science Methods Course ◽

Teachers Perceptions ◽

Images Of Scientists ◽

Mexico Border

This article describes the intervention strategies implemented in an effort to affect a group of Hispanic pre-service elementary teachers’ images of scientists during a science methods course in a teacher preparation program in the U.S.-Mexico border region. Although there is an extensive volume of research reporting on the use of the DAST-C instrument to study K-16 students’ images of scientists, the number of studies on exploring and influencing preservice teachers’ views of science and scientists is rather scarce. Findings in this study indicate that a semester-long intervention strategy focused on (a) pre-service teachers’ generated inquiry project, (b) written reflections on inquiry learning, and (c) a pre and post-drawing tests, allowed participants to reflect on their views about scientists and science, and experience a gradual shift from views conforming to stereotypical views of scientists to portrayals of science practitioners as individuals, just like other people in our society pursuing real interests.

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