A Case Study on Science Teacher Trainees

Abstract

The main purposes of this study were to investigate pre-service science teachers’ understanding of science concepts, their attitudes toward science teaching and their beliefs of their efficacy in science teaching. A total of 85 pre-service science teachers participated in the study. All students were sophomores who had taken various science courses during previous semesters and were still studying science. Data collection instruments included the Science Concept Test, The Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument, The Science Teaching Attitude Scale, Biology/Physics/Chemistry Attitude Scales, and open ended questions. All instruments were administered to the participants at the end of the 4th semester of their university years. The findings of the study indicated that majority of the participants had misconceptions concerning fundamental science concepts. The results also revealed that they generally had positive attitudes towards science teaching, and towards three different domains of science, namely, biology, physics, and chemistry. In addition, slightly positive self-efficacy beliefs regarding science teaching were found among most of the participants.