Factors Influencing Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers’ Outcome Expectancy Beliefs Regarding Science Teaching

Refika Olgan, Zişan Güner Alpaslan, Ceren Öztekin

Abstract

This study investigated the contribution of scientific epistemological beliefs, personal self-efficacy beliefs, and attitudes towards science teaching on pre-service early childhood teachers’ outcome expectancy beliefs. Data were collected from 362 pre-service early childhood teachers through administration of the Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire, the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument and the Science Teaching Attitude Scale and were analyzed by using Multiple Regression analysis. The results revealed that justification of scientific knowledge and personal self-efficacy beliefs found to be important factors predicting pre-service early childhood teachers’ outcome expectancy beliefs regarding science teaching. On the other hand, belief about source/certainty of scientific knowledge, development of scientific knowledge, and attitudes towards science teaching did not contribute the participants’ outcome expectancy beliefs.

Keywords

Science teaching, scientific epistemological beliefs, self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectancy, attitudes, pre-service early childhood teachers

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