WorldWideScience

Sample records for preparing pre-service elementary

  1. Strategies for Astronomers in the Preparation of Pre-Service Elementary and Secondary Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schultz, G. R.

    2004-12-01

    Making an impact on pre-service teacher preparation is challenging and requires a multi-faceted approach. To begin with, it's advisable to be informed by the education research and consensus policy statements published by the teacher education community, and to make meaningful connections with educators in this field. Two significant books to consult in this area come from the National Academy Press: "How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School" (NRC, 2000; see in particular chapter 8 on 'Teacher Learning') and "Educating Teachers of Science, Mathematics, and Technology: New Practices for the New Millennium" (NRC, 2001). Much can also be learned from joining the Association for the Education Teachers of Science (AETS; www.TheAETS.org) and/or attending its annual conferences, which attract various science teacher educators. It goes without saying that most teachers tend to teach science the way they learned it themselves, at least as a "default" pedagogical approach. Thus, initiatives in pre-service teacher preparation should include efforts to involve constructivist, inquiry-based teaching and learning in the undergraduate science lecture and laboratory courses that future teachers are enrolling in. Another important area in teacher education is the "science methods" course that a pre-service teacher enrolls in, through a college or school of education. Science methods courses are usually offered in both elementary and secondary education, and the approaches in each are of course different. Pre-service teachers in methods courses are often most concerned with classroom management strategies, and there is usually not much time in these courses for guidance on astronomy-specific (or any discipline-specific) curriculum and instruction. But experiences with short "interventions" in both elementary and secondary science methods courses have demonstrated that talking about and working hands-on with a well-designed space science curriculum resource (e.g. "The

  2. Pre-Service Elementary Teachers’ Scientific Literacy and Self-Efficacy in Teaching Science

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam Al Sultan

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Many educators and educational institutions worldwide have agreed that the main goal of science education is to produce a scientifically literate community. Science teachers are key to the achievement of scientific literacy at all levels of education because of the essential role they play in preparing scientifically literate individuals. Studies show that pre-service elementary teachers need to build more confidence in teaching science and scientific literacy during their teacher education programs in order for them to successfully teach science knowledge to their students. Therefore, the purpose of this study is threefold. First, pre-service elementary teachers' scientific literacy levels were examined. Second, pre-service teachers' self-efficacy beliefs were measured by distinguishing between their personal and subject-specific self-efficacy beliefs. Third, the extent to which pre-service elementary teachers' scientific literacy levels and self-efficacy levels are related was investigated. Participants were 49 pre-service elementary teachers registered in two science methods courses (introductory and advanced at a mid-sized university in the United States. Quantitative data were collected using the Test of Basic Scientific Literacy, the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument-Preservice, and Beliefs about Teaching. Results showed that participants had a satisfactory level of scientific literacy. However, pre-service teachers had borderline scores on the Nature of Science scale. Regarding self-efficacy, findings showed that both groups had the highest self-efficacy in teaching biology and the lowest in teaching physics. Participants in the advanced science methods course exhibited a moderate preexisting positive relationship between scientific literacy and subject-specific self-efficacy in teaching science.

  3. American Elementary Education Pre-Service Teachers' Attitudes towards Biotechnology Processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chabalengula, Vivien Mweene; Mumba, Frackson; Chitiyo, Jonathan

    2011-01-01

    This study examined elementary education pre-service teachers' attitudes towards biotechnology processes. A sample comprised 88 elementary education pre-service teachers at a mid-sized university in the Midwest of the USA. Sixty and 28 of these pre-service teachers were enrolled in Introductory Science Methods course and Advance Science Methods…

  4. Elementary Education Pre-Service Teachers' Development of Mathematics Technology Integration Skills in a Technology Integration Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polly, Drew

    2015-01-01

    Preparing pre-service teachers to effectively integrate technology in the classroom requires rich experiences that deepen their knowledge of technology, pedagogy, and content and the intersection of these aspects. This study examined elementary education pre-service teachers' development of skills and knowledge in a technology integration course…

  5. Elementary Pre-Service Teachers' Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematics Teaching Anxiety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haciomeroglu, Guney

    2014-01-01

    The present study examined the structure of elementary pre-service teachers' mathematics anxiety and mathematics teaching anxiety by asking whether the two systems of anxiety are related. The Turkish Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale Short Version and the Mathematics Teaching Anxiety Scale were administered to 260 elementary pre-service teachers.…

  6. Mathematics Anxiety and Beliefs of Turkish Pre-Service Elementary Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uysal, Figen; Dede, Yüksel

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between pre-service elementary teachers' mathematics teaching beliefs and mathematics anxiety. The participants of the study consist of 96 pre-service elementary teachers from a department of primary education in a state university in Turkey during the 2010-2011 spring term. Mathematics…

  7. Pre-service elementary teachers' understanding of scientific inquiry and its role in school science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macaroglu, Esra

    The purpose of this research was to explore pre-service elementary teachers' developing understanding of scientific inquiry within the context of their elementary science teaching and learning. More specifically, the study examined 24 pre-service elementary teachers' emerging understanding of (1) the nature of science and scientific inquiry; (2) the "place" of scientific inquiry in school science; and (3) the roles and responsibilities of teachers and students within an inquiry-based learning environment. Data sources consisted primarily of student-generated artifacts collected throughout the semester, including pre/post-philosophy statements and text-based materials collected from electronic dialogue journals. Individual data sources were open-coded to identify concepts and categories expressed by students. Cross-comparisons were conducted and patterns were identified. Assertions were formed with these patterns. Findings are hopeful in that they suggest pre-service teachers can develop a more contemporary view of scientific inquiry when immersed in a context that promotes this perspective. Not surprisingly, however, the prospective teachers encountered a number of barriers when attempting to translate their emerging ideas into practice. More research is needed to determine which teacher preparation experiences are most powerful in supporting pre-service teachers as they construct a framework for science teaching and learning that includes scientific inquiry as a central component.

  8. Elementary Pre-Service Teacher Perceptions of the Greenhouse Effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groves, Fred H.; Pugh, Ava F.

    1999-01-01

    Expands on earlier work to examine pre-service teachers' views on environmental issues, especially global warming and the related term "greenhouse effect." Suggests that pre-service elementary teachers hold many misconceptions about environmental issues. (DDR)

  9. A Study of Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Mathematical Sophistication in a Reform-Oriented Calculus Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ritter, Carrie Lineberry

    2015-01-01

    Calls for better preparation of STEM teachers have been prominent in educational communities and among the public for the past several years (e.g. American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, 2007). Some research suggests one way to improve mathematics instruction is to increase elementary pre-service teachers' "mathematical…

  10. Investigating Classroom Teaching Competencies of Pre Service Elementary Mathematics Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gokalp, Murat

    2016-01-01

    The study has sought answers to two major questions: What is the current situation in Elementary Mathematics Education programs at Faculty of Education in terms of classroom teaching competencies? To what extent do pre service teachers acquire these competencies? The research was conducted on 202 senior pre service teachers studying at the…

  11. Delivering Technological Literacy to a Class for Elementary School Pre-Service Teachers in South Korea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, Hyuksoo

    2017-01-01

    This study was conducted with the aim of creating a new introductory course emphasizing the development of technological literacy for elementary school pre-service teachers. This study also aimed to investigate elementary school pre-service teachers' attitudinal transition toward elementary school technology education (ESTE) and its…

  12. Exploring Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Mental Models of the Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taskin-Ekici, Fatma; Ekici, Erhan; Cokadar, Hulusi

    2015-01-01

    This study aims to explore pre-service elementary teachers' understandings of the environment. A survey method was carried out in this study. A close-ended questionnaire and Draw-An-Environment Test (DAET) are administered to pre-service teachers (N = 255) after instruction of an Environmental Education course. A rubric (DAET-R) is used for…

  13. Enhancing Elementary Pre-Service Teachers' Plant Processes Conceptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Stephen L.; Lotter, Christine; Fann, Xumei; Taylor, Laurie

    2016-01-01

    Researchers examined how an inquiry-based instructional treatment emphasizing interrelated plant processes influenced 210 elementary pre-service teachers' (PTs) conceptions of three plant processes, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and transpiration, and the interrelated nature of these processes. The instructional treatment required PTs to…

  14. Pre-service Elementary Teachers Understanding on Force and Motion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anggoro, S.; Widodo, A.; Suhandi, A.

    2017-09-01

    The research is done to investigate the understanding on the subtopic of Force and Motion that exists among the pre-services elementary teachers. The participants were 71 Elementary Teachers Study Program students in 6th and 77 one in 2nd semester at private university. Research instrument consisted of background information of respondents, belief of preconception and 8 questions that relates to Force and Motion with four alternative answers and their explained. Descriptive statistics such as percentage and bar chart were used for analyzing the data collected. Research findings have shown many participants have some misunderstand or misconception conception especially in free fall object, rest object, buoyant force and gravitation. This research recommends learning progression pre-services teachers to be exposed with conflict cognitive strategy for science conceptual change.

  15. Views of Elementary School Pre-Service Teachers About the Use of Educational Mathematics Games in Mathematics Teaching

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hasan Topçu

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to reveal the opinions of elementary school pre-service teachers about the usage of educational mathematics games in elementary mathematics teaching. In this study, case study that, one of qualitative research methods, was used. Data were collected by utilizing a semi-structured interview form to these elementary school pre-service teachers and analyzed using by content analysis method. A total of 10 junior pre-service teachers enrolled in undergraduate programs of elementary teaching attended to this research. In conclusion, these pre-service teachers indicated that educational computer games would provide benefits such as making students’ learning more permanent, visualizing concepts, making students love mathematics, learning by entertaining, reinforcing what has been learnt and developing thinking skills. Nevertheless, these elementary school pre-service teachers stated the limitations about educational computer games such as causing addiction and physical damages, being time-consuming, requiring special equipment and software and making class management difficult. Besides, it was revealed that the pre-service teachers demonstrated positive attitudes towards the use of games in courses while that they did not feel themselves competent in terms of application.Key Words:    Educational computer games, mathematics teaching, elementary school pre-service teachers

  16. Describing Pre-Service Teachers' Developing Understanding of Elementary Number Theory Topics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feldman, Ziv

    2012-01-01

    Although elementary number theory topics are closely linked to foundational topics in number and operations and are prevalent in elementary and middle grades mathematics curricula, little is currently known about how students and teachers make sense of them. This study investigated pre-service elementary teachers' developing understanding of…

  17. Some Reflections From Pre-Service Elementary Teachers’ Practice Teaching on the Area of Understanding Data in the Math-Teaching Course

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Özlem DOĞAN TEMUR

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available With developing technology statistical information and data sources become a very important issues and from primary school it has become necessary to gain the skills for making interpreting and making sense of data. These skills consist of collecting information, arrangement and analysis of collected data and the interpretation of the results. The duty of guiding students in their process of making statistical information meaningful falls upon teachers. This study, whose aim was to investigate prepared course content for sub-learning area in grade 1-4 math course and obtained experiences by pre-service elementary teachers in the schools they went as a part of teaching practice course, was conducted with nine fourth-year students attending an undergraduate program of elementary teaching in a state university during 2013-2014 academic year. Pre-service teachers were each asked to prepare and conduct a lesson plan suitable for the lesson outcomes and the level of the classes that they were to teach. Their applications were assessed by semi-structured observation form about data teaching developed by the researchers. It was observed that pre-service teachers could not reflect given lesson outcomes on the topic of data to the lessons they prepared to teach during their teaching practice. In the implementations, it was noted that pre-service teachers could not effectively include students in both collecting and arrangement as well as interpretation processes of the information and that they taught in teacher-centered manner although they prepared a correct activity. It was also noted that pre-service teachers could not well enough differentiate category and concept of variable in table and graph activities.

  18. Transforming a University "Entomology" Course into an Elementary Pre-service Teachers Training Course

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chow-Chin Lu

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available As elementary school pre-service teachers are required to learn the pedagogical content knowledge of natural field, "Entomology" course offered at the teacher training department was transformed into elementary pre-service teachers’ training course to early cultivate science teachers. This study adopted a mixed method research design. Forty-three pre-service teachers participated in the study and took the "Entomology" teacher training course. The course covers insect concepts, concept map drawing, insect feeding skills, outdoors teaching skills for insect survey, assessment for insect science fairs and designing science lesson plans. Both quantitative data and qualitative data were collected and analyzed to investigate the development of pre-service teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge. The results were as follows: 1 ICTS pre- and post-testing t test results show that pre-service teachers gained more insect cognitive concepts from the Entomology course. 2 In the pre-service teachers’ drawings of conceptual diagrams, the class framework was partially correct, but the conjunctions were accurately presented. 3 Pre-service teachers demonstrated skills of rearing insects, outdoors teaching skills for insect, assessing insect science fairs, and designing science lesson plans. 4 The transformation of the Entomology course into a teacher training course was feasible; however, entomology experimental activities may be added into the curriculum when pre-service teachers assessed insect science fairs.

  19. Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Motivation and Ill-Structured Problem Solving in Korea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Min Kyeong; Cho, Mi Kyung

    2016-01-01

    This article examines the use and application of an ill-structured problem to pre-service elementary teachers in Korea in order to find implications of pre-service teacher education with regard to contextualized problem solving by analyzing experiences of ill-structured problem solving. Participants were divided into small groups depending on the…

  20. Primarily Statistics: Developing an Introductory Statistics Course for Pre-Service Elementary Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, Jennifer L.; Blankenship, Erin E.

    2013-01-01

    We developed an introductory statistics course for pre-service elementary teachers. In this paper, we describe the goals and structure of the course, as well as the assessments we implemented. Additionally, we use example course work to demonstrate pre-service teachers' progress both in learning statistics and as novice teachers. Overall, the…

  1. Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Mathematics Content Knowledge: A Predictor of Sixth Graders' Mathematics Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shirvani, Hosin

    2015-01-01

    This study examined the knowledge of mathematics content of elementary pre-service teachers at a sixth grade level. The researcher administered a mathematics test for sixth graders mandated by the Texas Education Agency to pre-service teachers; the same test was given to sixth graders in Texas. The study found that pre-service teachers performed…

  2. The Relationships among Mathematics Teaching Efficacy, Mathematics Self-Efficacy, and Mathematical Beliefs for Elementary Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Briley, Jason S.

    2012-01-01

    Ninety-five elementary pre-service teachers enrolled in a mathematics content course for elementary school teachers completed 3 surveys to measure mathematics teaching efficacy, mathematics self-efficacy, and mathematical beliefs. The pre-service teachers who reported stronger beliefs in their capabilities to teach mathematics effectively were…

  3. Making Earth Science Relevant in the K-8 Classroom. The Development of an Instructional Soils Module for Pre-Service Elementary Teachers Using the Next Generation Science Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baldwin, K. A.; Hauge, R.; Dechaine, J. M.; Varrella, G.; Egger, A. E.

    2013-12-01

    The development and adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) raises a challenge in teacher preparation: few current teacher preparation programs prepare students to teach science the way it is presented in the NGSS, which emphasize systems thinking, interdisciplinary science, and deep engagement in the scientific process. In addition, the NGSS include more geoscience concepts and methods than previous standards, yet this is a topic area in which most college students are traditionally underprepared. Although nationwide, programmatic reform is needed, there are a few targets where relatively small, course-level changes can have a large effect. One of these targets is the 'science methods' course for pre-service elementary teachers, a requirement in virtually all teacher preparation programs. Since many elementary schools, both locally and across the country, have adopted a kit based science curriculum, examining kits is often a part of a science methods course. Unfortunately, solely relying on a kit based curriculum may leave gaps in science content curriculum as one prepares teachers to meet the NGSS. Moreover, kits developed at the national level often fall short in connecting geoscientific content to the locally relevant societal issues that engage students. This highlights the need to train pre-service elementary teachers to supplement kit curriculum with inquiry based geoscience investigations that consider relevant societal issues, promote systems thinking and incorporate connections between earth, life, and physical systems. We are developing a module that teaches geoscience concepts in the context of locally relevant societal issues while modeling effective pedagogy for pre-service elementary teachers. Specifically, we focus on soils, an interdisciplinary topic relevant to multiple geoscience-related societal grand challenges (e.g., water, food) that is difficult to engage students in. Module development is funded through InTeGrate, NSF

  4. Hands-on science methods class for pre-service elementary teachers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Manner, B.M. [Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

    1994-12-31

    If elementary teachers are to be comfortable teaching science, they must have positive pre-service experiences. A science methods class that is activity-based and student-centered, rather than lecture-based and teacher-centered, peaks their interest in science and alleviates their fears. Activities conducted by the students illustrate science concepts or integrate science with children`s literature books such as The Grouchy Ladybug. These activities are conducted by each student with the rest of the class and the professor acting as an elementary class. Each activity is then evaluated as to the science concept, what was done well, and how it could be improved. The students also relate how the activity would be integrated with other subjects such as social studies, art, math, and language arts. Student feedback indicates this method is enjoyable, educational, and valuable in preparing them to teach science. The {open_quotes}oohs{close_quotes} and {open_quotes}I didn`t know that!{close_quotes} during activities are positives, but students have also learned some science, lost most of their science anxiety, and will teach science with the confidence and enthusiasm that was lacking at the beginning of the course.

  5. Changing Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Beliefs about Mathematical Knowledge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stohlmann, Micah; Moore, Tamara; Cramer, Kathleen; Maiorca, Cathrine

    2015-01-01

    Studies have reported that pre-service teachers often enter teacher preparation programs with beliefs and attitudes not conducive to teaching the subject conceptually. In the USA, the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics have brought a renewed focus on procedural and conceptual understanding. However, many U.S. pre-service teachers have…

  6. A Pre-Service Teacher Training Model with Instructional Technology Graduate Students as Peer Coaches to Elementary Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slagter van Tryon, Patricia J.; Schwartz, Catherine Stein

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes a peer coaching collaboration between graduate students in a Master's program in Instructional Technology and undergraduate pre-service teachers enrolled in an elementary mathematics methods course. Integrated as a major project in a graduate level K-12 technology integration course, the Instructional Technology students…

  7. Biblio-Therapeutic Book Creations by Pre-Service Student Teachers: Helping Elementary School Children Cope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haeseler, Lisa Ann

    2009-01-01

    Many elementary school children may cope with difficult life struggles such as disabilities, abuse, loss, and identity issues. This article details original, student generated, biblio-therapeutic book creations and how this genre teaches positive ways for children at-risk to cope with tough life circumstances. Pre-service, elementary college…

  8. Bonded Relationships: Supporting Pre-Service Teachers to Develop Confidence and Competency as Elementary Literacy Educators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ticknor, Anne Swenson; Cavendish, Leslie M.

    2015-01-01

    Relationships matter in learning and in particular they matter for pre-service teachers engaged in learning how to teach in Midwest University, USA. This article reports findings from an 18-month long study that investigated how relationships supported and constrained four elementary pre-service literacy teachers' professional identities as…

  9. Improving Science and Literacy Learning for English Language Learners: Evidence from a Pre-service Teacher Preparation Intervention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaw, Jerome M.; Lyon, Edward G.; Stoddart, Trish; Mosqueda, Eduardo; Menon, Preetha

    2014-08-01

    This paper present findings from a pre-service teacher development project that prepared novice teachers to promote English language and literacy development with inquiry-based science through a modified elementary science methods course and professional development for cooperating teachers. To study the project's impact on student learning, we administered a pre and post assessment to students (N = 191) of nine first year elementary teachers (grades 3 through 6) who experienced the intervention and who taught a common science unit. Preliminary results indicate that (1) student learning improved across all categories (science concepts, writing, and vocabulary)—although the effect varied by category, and (2) English Language Learner (ELL) learning gains were on par with non-ELLs, with differences across proficiency levels for vocabulary gain scores. These results warrant further analyses to understand the extent to which the intervention improved teacher practice and student learning. This study confirms the findings of previous research that the integration of science language and literacy practices can improve ELL achievement in science concepts, writing and vocabulary. In addition, the study indicates that it is possible to begin to link the practices taught in pre-service teacher preparation to novice teacher practice and student learning outcomes.

  10. Fraction Multiplication and Division Word Problems Posed by Different Years of Pre-Service Elementary Mathematics Teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tuba Aydogdu Iskenderoglu

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available It is important for pre-service teachers to know the conceptual difficulties they have experienced regarding the concepts of multiplication and division in fractions and problem posing is a way to learn these conceptual difficulties. Problem posing is a synthetic activity that fundamentally has multiple answers. The purpose of this study is to analyze the multiplication and division of fractions problems posed by pre-service elementary mathematics teachers and to investigate how the problems posed change according to the year of study the pre-service teachers are in. The study employed developmental research methods. A total of 213 pre-service teachers enrolled in different years of the Elementary Mathematics Teaching program at a state university in Turkey took part in the study. The “Problem Posing Test” was used as the data collecting tool. In this test, there are 3 multiplication and 3 division operations. The data were analyzed using qualitative descriptive analysis. The findings suggest that, regardless of the year, pre-service teachers had more conceptual difficulties in problem posing about the division of fractions than in problem posing about the multiplication of fractions.

  11. The Impacts of Mathematical Representations Developed through Webquest and Spreadsheet Activities on the Motivation of Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halat, Erdogan; Peker, Murat

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the influence of instruction using WebQuest activities with the influence of an instruction using spreadsheet activities on the motivation of pre-service elementary school teachers in mathematics teaching course. There were a total of 70 pre-service elementary school teachers involved in this study. Thirty…

  12. The Effect of Using an Explicit General Problem Solving Teaching Approach on Elementary Pre-Service Teachers' Ability to Solve Heat Transfer Problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mataka, Lloyd M.; Cobern, William W.; Grunert, Megan L.; Mutambuki, Jacinta; Akom, George

    2014-01-01

    This study investigate the effectiveness of adding an "explicit general problem solving teaching strategy" (EGPS) to guided inquiry (GI) on pre-service elementary school teachers' ability to solve heat transfer problems. The pre-service elementary teachers in this study were enrolled in two sections of a chemistry course for pre-service…

  13. The Problem-Based Learning Process: Reflections of Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baysal, Zeliha Nurdan

    2017-01-01

    This study aims to identify the benefits acquired by third-year pre-service elementary school teachers participating in a problem-based learning process in social studies education, the issues they encountered in that process and those they are likely to encounter, and their feelings about the process. Semi-structured interviews were used as one…

  14. Implementation of Technology in an Elementary Mathematics Lesson: The Experiences of Pre-Service Teachers at One University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herron, Julie

    2010-01-01

    This study examined pre-service teachers' responses to implementing technology into elementary mathematics lessons. Instructional Architect (IA) was the web-base technology used by the pre-service teachers. Four themes emerged from the data: (a) insights into technology, (b) struggles with technology, (c) access to the mathematics and (d) learning…

  15. Mapping the social side of pre-service teachers : connecting closeness, trust, and efficacy with performance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liou, Yi Hwa; Daly, Alan J.; Canrinus, Esther T.; Forbes, Cheryl A.; Moolenaar, Nienke M.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/304352802; Cornelissen, Frank; Van Lare, Michelle; Hsiao, Joyce

    2017-01-01

    This exploratory study foregrounds the important, but often understudied social side of pre-service teacher development and its relation to teaching performance in one university-based teacher preparation program in the US. We examine the extent to which pre-service elementary teachers’ social

  16. Rethinking Difficulties of Teaching Inquiry-Based Practical Work: Stories from elementary pre-service teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Mijung; Tan, Aik-Ling

    2011-03-01

    To alleviate teachers' reluctance toward practical work, there has been much discussion on teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, teaching materials, and failsafe strategies for practical work. Despite these efforts, practical work is still regarded as a challenging task for many elementary science teachers. To understand the complexity of teachers' conflicts in practical work, this study examines teachers' ideas about teaching and learning that influence teachers' decision-making and action on teaching practical work. More important than knowing technical-rational aspects of practical work is to understand the internal contradictions that teachers have to resolve within themselves regarding their capabilities and beliefs about science teaching and practical work. Using stories and experiences of 38 third-year university students in a science method course in Korea, we seek to understand the conflicts and negotiations that they experience as they make decisions regarding practical work throughout their course. Reflective writings and group discussions on their lived experiences and concerns were used to probe participants' ideas on teaching using practical work. From written and verbal data, themes were saturated in terms of the aspects which could (dis)encourage their practice. Results suggest that there are multifactorial challenges in pre-service teachers' understandings and concerns in practical work. Besides time, materials, and curriculum, pedagogical assumptions and values also compositely challenge the minds of teachers. As the pre-service elementary teachers negotiated within themselves the importance of science in classroom and social levels, the question is raised about their identities as pre-service elementary teachers to appreciate the balance between science teaching and practical work.

  17. Level conceptual change pre-service elementary teachers on electric current conceptions through visual multimedia supported conceptual change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hermita, N.; Suhandi, A.; Syaodih, E.; Samsudin, A.; Marhadi, H.; Sapriadil, S.; Zaenudin, Z.; Rochman, C.; Mansur, M.; Wibowo, F. C.

    2018-05-01

    Now a day, conceptual change is the most valuable issues in the science education perspective, especially in the elementary education. Researchers have already dialed with the aim of the research to increase level conceptual change process on the electric conceptions through Visual Multimedia Supported Conceptual Change Text (VMMSCCText). We have ever utilized research and development method namely 3D-1I stands for Define, Design, Development, and Implementation. The 27 pre-service elementary teachers were involved in the research. The battery function in circuit electric conception is the futuristic concept which should have been learned by the students. Moreover, the data which was collected reports that static about 0%, disorientation about 0%, reconstruction about 55.6%, and construction about 25.9%. It can be concluded that the implementation of VMMSCCText to pre-service elementary teachers are increased to level conceptual change categories.

  18. An Analysis of Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Understanding of Inquiry-Based Science Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Carole K.; Shea, Marilyn

    2016-01-01

    This study examines how pre-service elementary teachers (PSETs) view inquiry-based science learning and teaching, and how the science methods course builds their confidence to teach inquiry science. Most PSETs think that inquiry is asking students questions rather than a formal set of pedagogical tools. In the present study, three groups of PSETs…

  19. Elementary pre-service teachers' conceptual understanding of dissolving: a Vygotskian concept development perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrell, Pamela; Subramaniam, Karthigeyan

    2015-09-01

    Background and purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify the nature and the interrelatedness of pre-service teachers' misconceptions and scientific concepts for explaining dissolving before, during, and after a 5E learning cycle lesson on dissolving, the intervention. Sample, design, and methods: Guided by Vygotsky's theory of concept development, the study focused specifically on the spontaneous, and spontaneous pseudo-concepts held by the 61 elementary pre-service teachers during a 15-week science methods course. Data included concept maps, interview transcripts, written artifacts, drawings, and narratives, and were thematically analyzed to classify concepts and interrelatedness. Results: Results of the study showed that spontaneous pseudo-concepts (1) dominated pre-service teachers' understandings about dissolving throughout the study, and (2) were simply associated with scientific concepts during and after the intervention. Conclusion: Collectively, the results indicated that the pre-service teachers' did not acquire a unified system of knowledge about dissolving that could be characterized as abstract, generalizable, and hierarchical. Implications include the need for (1) familiarity with pre-service teachers' prior knowledge about science content; (2) a variety of formative assessments to assess their misconceptions; (3) emphasizing the importance of dialectical method for concept development during instruction; and (4) skillful content instructors.

  20. Pre-Service Elementary Mathematics Teachers' Metaphors on Scientific Research and Foundations of Their Perceptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bas, Fatih

    2016-01-01

    In this study, it is aimed to investigate pre-service elementary mathematics teachers' perceptions about scientific research with metaphor analysis and determine the foundations of these perceptions. This phenomenological study was conducted with 182 participants. The data were collected with two open-ended survey forms formed for investigating…

  1. Characteristics of Atheist Pre-Service Elementary Teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Derek Anderson

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate the beliefs and self-identities of 15 nonreligious pre-service elementary teachers (PSTs, as well as the role their lack of faith plays in their teaching. Semi-structured interviews and participant self-analyses served as data sources, which were used to categorize the PSTs into Silver’s (2013 typology of nonbelief. Notably different from the distribution of Silver’s national sample of nonbelievers, the nonreligious PSTs were much less engaged in their nonbelief and were more willing to comply with religious activities. The nonreligious PSTs were drawn to teaching due to their love of learning, and they intend to promote critical thinking and tolerance in their classrooms; however, 13 (87% wof the PSTs expressed concern about the negative impact their lack of religion might have on their careers and intend to keep their lack of belief private.

  2. Mapping the Social Side of Pre-Service Teachers: Connecting Closeness, Trust, and Efficacy with Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liou, Yi-Hwa; Daly, Alan J.; Canrinus, Esther T.; Forbes, Cheryl A.; Moolenaar, Nienke M.; Cornelissen, Frank; Van Lare, Michelle; Hsiao, Joyce

    2017-01-01

    This exploratory study foregrounds the important, but often understudied social side of pre-service teacher development and its relation to teaching performance in one university-based teacher preparation program in the US. We examine the extent to which pre-service elementary teachers' social relationships and perceptions of peer trust and…

  3. Cognitive dissonance of science and religion in pre-service elementary school teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malloy, Robert Earl, Sr.

    Throughout history science and religion have been in conflict. Many of the theories of science do not agree with the religious beliefs of pre-service teachers. Those teachers who will be teaching in the science classroom, must be able to present science without prejudice of personal religious beliefs. Are pre-service teachers prepared for science/religion conflicts? How much conflict do pre-service teachers have between science and religion? This study suggests that pre-service teachers may have a high degree of conflict between science and religion, and that they have received no educational experience on how to deal with this conflict. Such conflict poses a potential problem when presenting science in the classroom, in that non-science information may not be separated from the science presented.

  4. Preparing Pre-Service Teachers for Multicultural Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Premier, Jessica Aimee; Miller, Jenny

    2010-01-01

    Cultural diversity is evident throughout schools in Victoria, Australia. Many students are new arrivals from war-torn countries including Sudan, Afghanistan and Iraq. To what extent do teacher training courses in Victoria prepare pre-service teachers to cater for the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students? This paper…

  5. The Use of Lego Technologies in Elementary Teacher Preparation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hadjiachilleos, Stella; Avraamidou, Lucy; Papastavrou, Stavros

    2013-10-01

    The need to reform science teacher preparation programs has been pointed out in research (Bryan and Abell in J Res Sci Teach 36:121-140, 1999; Bryan and Atwater in Sci Educ 8(6):821-839, 2002; Harrington and Hathaway in J Teach Educ 46(4):275-284, 1995). Science teachers are charged with the responsibility of incorporating both cognitive and non-cognitive parameters in their everyday teaching practices. This often results in their reluctance to teach science because they often lack disciplinary and/or pedagogical expertise required to promote science learning. The purpose of this study is to propose an alternative instructional approach in which Lego vehicles were used as a tool to promote pre-service elementary teachers' development and to examine whether there are non-cognitive parameters that promote or obstruct them from using Lego Technologies as a teaching tool. The context of the study was defined by a teacher preparation program of a private university in a small Mediterranean country. A sample of 28 pre-service elementary teachers, working in five 5-6-member groups were involved in scientific inquiries, during which they had to use vehicles in order to solve scientific problems related to concepts such as gear functioning, force, and motion. The nature of their cognitive engagement in the scientific inquiry process, non-cognitive parameters contributing to their cognitive engagement, and the impact of their involvement in the process on their development were examined through qualitative analysis of pre- and post-inquiry interviews, presentations of their solutions to the scientific problems and of their personal reflective journals.

  6. Preparing pre-service teachers as emancipatory and participatory ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Preparing pre-service teachers as emancipatory and participatory action researchers in ... teachers to become more critically reflective and socially conscious. ... beliefs about teaching, and gain confidence in addressing social justice issues. ... focus on their work with learners and challenges in the real school environment.

  7. Pre-service elementary science teaching self-efficacy and teaching practices: A mixed-methods, dual-phase, embedded case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sangueza, Cheryl Ramirez

    This mixed-method, dual-phase, embedded-case study employed the Social Cognitive Theory and the construct of self-efficacy to examine the contributors to science teaching self-efficacy and science teaching practices across different levels of efficacy in six pre-service elementary teachers during their science methods course and student teaching experiences. Data sources included the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-B) for pre-service teachers, questionnaires, journals, reflections, student teaching lesson observations, and lesson debriefing notes. Results from the STEBI-B show that all participants measured an increase in efficacy throughout the study. The ANOVA analysis of the STEBI-B revealed a statistically significant increase in level of efficacy during methods course, student teaching, and from the beginning of the study to the end. Of interest in this study was the examination of the participants' science teaching practices across different levels of efficacy. Results of this analysis revealed how the pre-service elementary teachers in this study contextualized their experiences in learning to teach science and its influences on their science teaching practices. Key implications involves the value in exploring how pre-service teachers interpret their learning to teach experiences and how their interpretations influence the development of their science teaching practices.

  8. Enhancing Elementary Pre-service Teachers' Plant Processes Conceptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Stephen L.; Lotter, Christine; Fann, Xumei; Taylor, Laurie

    2016-06-01

    Researchers examined how an inquiry-based instructional treatment emphasizing interrelated plant processes influenced 210 elementary pre-service teachers' (PTs) conceptions of three plant processes, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and transpiration, and the interrelated nature of these processes. The instructional treatment required PTs to predict the fate of a healthy plant in a sealed terrarium (Plant-in-a-Jar), justify their predictions, observe the plant over a 5-week period, and complete guided inquiry activities centered on one of the targeted plant processes each week. Data sources included PTs' pre- and post-predictions with accompanying justifications, course artifacts such as weekly terrarium observations and science journal entries, and group models of the interrelated plant processes occurring within the sealed terraria. A subset of 33 volunteer PTs also completed interviews the week the Plant-in-a-Jar scenario was introduced and approximately 4 months after the instructional intervention ended. Pre- and post-predictions from all PTs as well as interview responses from the subgroup of PTs, were coded into categories based on key plant processes emphasized in the Next Generation Science Standards. Study findings revealed that PTs developed more accurate conceptions of plant processes and their interrelated nature as a result of the instructional intervention. Primary patterns of change in PTs' plant process conceptions included development of more accurate conceptions of how water is used by plants, more accurate conceptions of photosynthesis features, and more accurate conceptions of photosynthesis and cellular respiration as transformative processes.

  9. Examining the Impact of Educational Technology Courses on Pre-Service Teachers' Development of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Pi-Sui

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the impact of educational technology courses on pre-service teachers' development of knowledge of technology integration in a teacher preparation program in the USA. The present study was conducted with eight pre-service teachers enrolled in the elementary teacher education program at a large…

  10. Preparing perservice teachers to teach elementary school science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis, Amy D.

    The development of scientifically literate citizens begins in the elementary school. Yet elementary school teachers are ill prepared to teach science (Trygstad, Smith, Banilower, Nelson, & Horizon Research, Inc., 2013). The research base on teacher preparation finds that programs designed to prepare elementary teachers are inadequate in providing both the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge necessary to teach science effectively (Baumgartner, 2010; Bodzin & Beerer, 2003; Bulunuz & Jarrett 2009). This mixed methods study examined what happened when a science methods course was interactively co-taught by an expert in elementary teaching methods and a physics expert. This study also aimed to discover what aspects of the curriculum pre-service teachers (PSTs) said helped them in developing their understanding of science content and scientific reasoning, and how to implement inquiry practices to teach science. A nested case study of three PSTs provided descriptive portraits of student experiences in the class. A whole class case analysis was used to examine what PSTs learned in terms of science, scientific reasoning skills, and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) from their experiences in the course. It was found that students often conflated science content with the experiences they had in learning the content. Although PSTs felt the interactive co-teaching model effectively created a balance between theory and practice, it was their experiences doing science--conducting physical experiments, developing and discussing scientific models, and the use of inquiry-based instruction--that they credited for their learning. Even with careful curriculum planning, and a course purposely designed to bridge the theory to practice gap, this study found one semester-long methods course to be insufficient in providing the vast content knowledge and PCK elementary school science teachers need.

  11. Improving Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Education via a Laboratory Course on Air Pollution: One University's Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mandrikas, Achilleas; Parkosidis, Ioannis; Psomiadis, Ploutarchos; Stoumpa, Artemisia; Chalkidis, Anthimos; Mavrikaki, Evangelia; Skordoulis, Constantine

    2013-01-01

    This paper describes the structure of the "Air Pollution Course", an environmental science laboratory course developed at the Science Education Laboratory of the Faculty of Primary Education, University of Athens, as well as the findings resulting from its implementation by pre-service elementary teachers. The course proposed in this…

  12. Connecting Mathematics and Literature: An Analysis of Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers' Changing Beliefs and Knowledge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilburne, Jane M.; Napoli, Mary

    2008-01-01

    The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics calls for students to see relationships and connections with mathematics (2000). This study examined the influences on eight pre-service elementary school teachers' beliefs and knowledge of teaching mathematics through literature. The semester long project involved both the language arts and…

  13. Using Student Video Cases to Assess Pre-service Elementary Teachers' Engineering Teaching Responsiveness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dalvi, Tejaswini; Wendell, Kristen

    2017-10-01

    Our study addresses the need for new approaches to prepare novice elementary teachers to teach both science and engineering, and for new tools to measure how well those approaches are working. This in particular would inform the teacher educators of the extent to which novice teachers are developing expertise in facilitating their students' engineering design work. One important dimension to measure is novice teachers' abilities to notice the substance of student thinking and to respond in productive ways. This teacher noticing is particularly important in science and engineering education, where students' initial, idiosyncratic ideas and practices influence the likelihood that particular instructional strategies will help them learn. This paper describes evidence of validity and reliability for the Video Case Diagnosis (VCD) task, a new instrument for measuring pre-service elementary teachers' engineering teaching responsiveness. To complete the VCD, participants view a 6-min video episode of children solving an engineering design problem, describe in writing what they notice about the students' science ideas and engineering practices, and propose how a teacher could productively respond to the students. The rubric for scoring VCD responses allowed two independent scorers to achieve inter-rater reliability. Content analysis of the video episode, systematic review of literature on science and engineering practices, and solicitation of external expert educator responses establish content validity for VCD. Field test results with three different participant groups who have different levels of engineering education experience offer evidence of construct validity.

  14. A Project-Based Learning Approach to Teaching Physics for Pre-Service Elementary School Teacher Education Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldstein, Olzan

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes the impact of the project-based learning (PBL) approach on learning and teaching physics from the perspective of pre-service elementary school teacher education students and an instructor. This approach promoted meaningful learning (mainly in the scope of projects), higher motivation, and active involvement of students in…

  15. The effect of science demonstrations as a community service activity on pre-service science teachers' teaching practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gurel, Derya Kaltakci

    2016-03-01

    In the scope of this study, pre-service science teachers (PSST) developed and carried out science demonstrations with everyday materials for elementary school students as a community service activity. 17 PSST enrolled in the community services practices course at Kocaeli University comprised the sample of the present study. Community service practices aim to develop consciousness of social responsibility and professional skills, as well as to gain awareness of social and community problems and find solutions for pre-service teachers. With this aim, each PSST developed five science demonstration activities and their brochures during a semester. At the end of the semester, a total of 85 demonstrations were carried out at public elementary schools, which are especially located in socioeconomically poor districts of Kocaeli, Turkey. In the present case study, the effect of developing and carrying out science demonstrations for elementary school students on six of the PSST' teaching practices on density and buoyancy concept was investigated. 30-minute interviews conducted with each PSST, videos recorded during their demonstration performances, brochures they prepared for their demonstration activities, and reflection papers were used as data collection tools of the study. The results showed that community service practices with science demonstrations had positive effects on PSST' science content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge.

  16. Enhancing Pre-Service Special Educator Preparation through Combined Use of Virtual Simulation and Instructional Coaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson-Ahmad, Maria

    2018-01-01

    To meet the ever-increasing teaching standards, pre-service special educators need extensive and advanced opportunities for pedagogical preparation prior to entering the classroom. Providing opportunities for pre-service special educators to practice such strategies within a virtual simulation environment offers teacher preparation programs a way…

  17. Slovenian Pre-Service Teachers' Prototype Biography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lipovec, Alenka; Antolin, Darja

    2014-01-01

    In this article we apply narrative methodology to the study of pre-service elementary teachers' school-time memories connected to mathematics education. In the first phase of our empirical study we asked 214 Slovenian pre-service teachers to write their mathematical autobiographies. On the basis of the mathematical autobiographies we constructed a…

  18. Moral Literacy through Two Lenses: Pre-Service Teachers' Preparation for Character Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rizzo, Kelly; Bajovic, Mira

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we explored how well prepared pre-service teacher candidates are to develop moral literacy. With the mandate in Ontario schools to deliver character education, we were intrigued by the question: How well prepared are teacher candidates to deliver on this requirement based on preservice preparation and the realities of classroom…

  19. Defining Academic Dishonesty Behaviors According to Pre-Service Teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammet ÖZDEN

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to determine academic dishonesty behaviors based on the opinions of pre-service elementary and social studies teachers. This study was designed using a student self-report survey questionnaire. The sample of this study consisted of 445 pre-service teachers. The research data was collected using “the academic dishonesty behaviors opinion survey” developed for this research. The research data was analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques and chi-square test. Results indicated 23 items that pre-service teachers agreed on were about academic dishonesty. Of these 10 items were about academic cheating and 13 items were about plagiarism in assignments. The top three academic dishonesty behaviors based on participants opinion were respectively having another person take the test on behalf, stealing exam materials and handing in someone else's essay with his/her name on it. Most pre-service teachers did not accept 4 items as an academic dishonest behavior. These items were using old exam questions in order to prepare an exam, using someone else's notes in order to prepare an exam, to give information to other class students after taking the exam, and taking an exam after receiving information from students who already took the exam. In this study, another important finding was about gender differences; female preservice teachers showed more concern than male pre-service teachers about academic dishonesty behaviors. There were also a few limited significant differences both in grade and class level in all academic dishonesty behaviors.

  20. Preparation of pre-service teachers in Ghana to integrate information and communication technology in teaching mathematics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Agyei, D.D.

    2012-01-01

    Based on responses and experiences of the pre-service teachers, the research demonstrated that pre-service teachers developed TPACK and that they felt prepared to effectively use ICT in their classroom. The outcomes of the research showed that collaborative design in design teams in pre-service

  1. Pre-Service Science Teacher Preparation in China: Challenges and Promises

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Enshan; Liu, Cheng; Wang, Jian

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this article was to present an overview of pre-service science teacher preparation in China, which is heavily influenced by Chinese tradition, Confucianism, and rapid social and economic development. The policies, science teacher education systems and related programs jointly contribute to producing enough science teachers for…

  2. Pre-Service Special Education Teachers' Professionalism and Preparation in Terms of Child Sexual Abuse

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Zboon, Eman; Ahmad, Jamal

    2016-01-01

    This study aimed at examining Jordanian pre-service special education teachers' professionalism and preparation on the topic of child sexual abuse (CSA). Qualitative research data from interviews with 20 pre-service special education teachers were analysed using thematic analysis. The results showed that these participants generally hold avoiding…

  3. The attitudinal and cognitive effects of interdisciplinary collaboration on elementary pre-service teachers development of biological science related lesson plans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mills, Jada Jamerson

    There is a need for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education to be taught effectively in elementary schools. In order to achieve this, teacher preparation programs should graduate confident, content strong teachers to convey knowledge to elementary students. This study used interdisciplinary collaboration between the School of Education and the College of Liberal Arts through a Learning-by-Teaching method (LdL): Lernen durch Lernen in German. Pre-service teacher (PST) achievement levels of understanding science concepts based on pretest and posttest data, quality of lesson plans developed, and enjoyment of the class based on the collaboration with science students. The PSTs enrolled in two treatment sections of EDEL 404: Science in the Elementary Classroom collaborated with science students enrolled in BISC 327: Introductory Neuroscience to enhance their science skills and create case-based lesson plans on neurothology topics: echolocation, electrosensory reception, steroid hormones, and vocal learning. The PSTs enrolled in the single control section of EDEL 404 collaborated with fellow elementary education majors to develop lesson plans also based on the same selected topics. Qualitative interviews of education faculty, science faculty, and PSTs provided depth to the quantitative findings. Upon lesson plan completion, in-service teachers also graded the two best and two worst plans for the treatment and control sections and a science reviewer graded the plans for scientific accuracy. Statistical analyses were conducted for hypotheses, and one significant hypothesis found that PSTs who collaborated with science students had more positive science lesson plan writing attitudes than those who did not. Despite overall insignificant statistical analyses, all PSTs responded as more confident after collaboration. Additionally, interviews provided meaning and understanding to the insignificant statistical results as well as scientific accuracy of

  4. Exploring impacts of the EED 420 science methods course on pre-service elementary teachers’ views regarding the nature of science

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    EunJin Bang

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available This study explores the impact of a semester-long science methods course examining pre-service elementary teachers’ views on the nature of science (NOS. Also examined were NOS characteristics that pre-service teachers incorporated into their science lesson plans and peer teachings, during the course. Data used for this study were obtained from 21 pre-service teachers who participated in the pre/post card exchange game, pre/post VNOS interviews, 5E lesson plans, and peer teaching performances. The results of the study showed that some changes were made as a result of EED 420— such as starting to view science as a data-gathering experimental endeavor, rather than just a theorydriven endeavor. None of the groups explicitly designed or taught their lesson’s NOS aspects. The study posits that a mere one semester-long science method’s course is insufficient to adequately improve understanding of the NOS, and to establish a sufficiently robust desire in pre-service teachers for them to implement NOS into their lessons.

  5. Exploring Impacts of the EED 420 Science Methods Course on Pre-service Elementary Teachers’ Views Regarding the Nature of Science

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    EunJin BANG

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available This study explores the impact of a semester-long science methods course examining pre-service elementary teachers’ views on the nature of science(NOS. Also examined were NOS characteristics that pre-service teachers incorporated into their science lesson plans and peer teachings, during the course. Data used for this study were obtained from 21 pre-service teachers who participated in the pre/post card exchange game, pre/post VNOS interviews, 5E lesson plans, and peer teaching performances. The results of the study showed that some changes were made as a result of EED 420—such as starting to view science as a data-gathering experimental endeavor, rather than just a theory-driven endeavor. None of the groups explicitly designed or taught their lesson’s NOS aspects. Thestudy posits that a mere one semester-long science method’s course is insufficient to adequately improve understanding of the NOS, and to establish a sufficiently robust desire in pre-service teachersfor them to implement NOS into their lessons.

  6. Using Video Games to Support Pre-Service Elementary Teachers Learning of Basic Physics Principles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Janice; Barnett, Michael

    2011-08-01

    The purpose of this work is to share our findings in using video gaming technology to facilitate the understanding of basic electromagnetism with pre-service elementary teachers. To this end we explored the impact of using a game called Supercharged! on pre-service teachers' understanding of electromagnetic concepts compared to students who conducted a more traditional inquiry oriented investigation of the same concepts. This study was a part of a larger design experiment examining the pedagogical potential of Supercharged! the control group learned through a series of guided inquiry methods while the experimental group played Supercharged! during the laboratory sections of the science course. There was significant difference F(2,134) = 4.8, p video games can lead to positive learning outcomes, as demonstrated by the increase in test scores from pre- to post-assessment. Additionally, this study also suggests that a complementary approach, in which video games and hands-on activities are integrated, with each activity informing the other, could be a very powerful technique for supporting student scientific understanding. Further, our findings suggest that video game designers should embed meta-cognitive activities such as reflective opportunities into educational video games to provide scaffolds for students and to reinforce that they are engaged in an educational learning experience.

  7. Utilizing the NASA Data-enhanced Investigations for Climate Change Education Resource for Elementary Pre-service Teachers in a Technology Integration Education Course.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, E. M.; Moore, T.; Hale, S. R.; Hayden, L. B.; Johnson, D.

    2014-12-01

    The preservice teachers enrolled in the EDUC 203 Introduction to Computer Instructional Technology course, primarily for elementary-level had created climate change educational lessons based upon their use of the NASA Data-enhanced Investigations for Climate Change Education (DICCE). NASA climate education datasets and tools were introduced to faculty of Minority Serving Institutions through a grant from the NASA Innovations in Climate Education program. These lessons were developed to study various ocean processes involving phytoplankton's chlorophyll production over time for specific geographic areas using the Giovanni NASA software tool. The pre-service teachers had designed the climate change content that will assist K-4 learners to identify and predict phytoplankton sources attributed to sea surface temperatures, nutrient levels, sunlight, and atmospheric carbon dioxide associated with annual chlorophyll production. From the EDUC 203 course content, the preservice teachers applied the three phases of the technology integration planning (TIP) model in developing their lessons. The Zunal website (http://www.zunal.com) served as a hypermedia tool for online instructional delivery in presenting the climate change content, the NASA climate datasets, and the visualization tools used for the production of elementary learning units. A rubric was developed to assess students' development of their webquests to meet the overall learning objectives and specific climate education objectives. Accompanying each webquest is a rubric with a defined table of criteria, for a teacher to assess students completing each of the required tasks for each lesson. Two primary challenges of technology integration for elementary pre-service teachers were 1) motivating pre-service teachers to be interested in climate education and 2) aligning elementary learning objectives with the Next Generation science standards of climate education that are non-existent in the Common Core State

  8. GeoGebra 3D from the perspectives of elementary pre-service mathematics teachers who are familiar with a number of software programs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Serdal Baltaci

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Each new version of the GeoGebra dynamic mathematics software goes through updates and innovations. One of these innovations is the GeoGebra 5.0 version. This version aims to facilitate 3D instruction by offering opportunities for students to analyze 3D objects. While scanning the previous studies of GeoGebra 3D, it is seen that they mainly focus on the visualization of a problem in daily life and the dimensions of the evaluation of the process of problem solving with various variables. Therefore, this research problem was determined to reveal the opinions of pre-service elementary mathematics teachers who can use multiple software programs very well, about the usability of GeoGebra 3D. Compared to other studies conducted in this field, this study is thought to add a new dimension to the literature on GeoGebra 3D because the participants in the study had received training in using the Derive, Cabri, Cabri 3D, GeoGebra and GeoGebra 3D programs and had developed activities throughout their undergraduate programs and in some cases they were held responsible for those programs in their exams. In this research, we used the method of case study. The participants consisted of five elementary pre-service mathematics teachers who were enrolled in fourth year courses. We employed semi-structured interviews to collect data. It is concluded that pre-service elementary mathematics teachers expressed a great deal of opinions about the positive contribution of the GeoGebra 3D dynamic mathematics software.

  9. Algebraic Generalization Strategies Used by Kuwaiti Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alajmi, Amal Hussain

    2016-01-01

    This study reports on the algebraic generalization strategies used by elementary and middle/high school pre-service mathematics teachers in Kuwait. They were presented with 9 tasks that involved linear, exponential, and quadratic situations. The results showed that these pre-service teachers had difficulty in generalizing algebraic rules in all 3…

  10. Preparing Pre-Service School Librarians for Science-Focused Collaboration with Pre-Service Elementary Teachers: The Design and Impact of a Cross-Class Assignment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rawson, Casey H.

    2015-01-01

    Numerous authors in the library and information science (LIS) field have called for more authentic collaborative experiences for students in school librarian education programs, particularly experiences that partner school library students with pre-service teachers to collaboratively design instruction. The first-iteration, design-based study…

  11. Redesigning a University Entrance Interview Protocol: A Case Study with Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers in Korea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jinwon Chung

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available In Korea, a national university admission is made based on a variety of factors like Grade Point Average(GPA, Statement of Purpose(SOP, Letters of Recommendation, as well as other achievement records and/or descriptions of specific qualifications. In reviewing applications, the admissions committee considers GPA, SOP, recommendation letters and other factors are also taken into consideration in the interview process. An interview test is designed to measure the overall ability of pre-service teachers, particularly focusing on their character and nature. Thus, the purpose of this study is intended to understand the admission processes of a national university in Korea, and to design the interview test questions to choose the ideal pre-service teachers who are to work in the public elementary school after graduation. In order to answer this question, a survey questionnaire was distributed to 478 college students and then results were collected and analysed.

  12. A typological analysis: understanding pre-service teacher beliefs and how they are transformed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lloyd, Mary Elizabeth Riley

    2018-04-01

    This article describes the beliefs and their transformations of members of a cohort of early-childhood, elementary and middle-level pre-service teachers (PSTs) as they professionally develop. A typological analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data collected between August 2011 and May 2013 was utilized to categorize how 40 PSTs' beliefs transformed throughout their formal teacher preparation. Five typologies were identified, showing variation in how PST beliefs transform or remain static.

  13. Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers on Mentor Teachers' Roles in Promoting Inclusive Practicum: Case Studies in U.S. Elementary School Contexts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maddamsetti, Jihea

    2018-01-01

    This case study examines a Chinese and Korean-Chinese pre-service teachers' perceptions of their mentor teachers' role in supporting inclusive practicum experiences in USA elementary school contexts. The findings demonstrate that a mentor teacher's open conversations and willingness to host those students bring positive influence on their learning…

  14. Student Mastery of the Sun-Earth-Moon System in a Flipped Classroom of Pre-service Elementary Education Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larsen, Kristine

    2014-01-01

    One of the current trends in pedagogy at all levels(K-college) is the so-called ‘flipped classroom’, in which students prepare for a class meeting through self-study of the material. It is based on a rejection of the classic model of the faculty member as the ‘sage on the stage’ instead, responsibility for learning shifts to the individual student. The faculty member takes on the role of learning facilitator or mentor, and focuses the students’ learning by crafting and administering timely formative assessments (in multiple formats and applied multiple times) that aid both students and the faculty member in tracking the students’ mastery of the learning outcomes. In a flipped, freshman-only, section of SCI 111 Elementary Earth-Physical Sciences (a required introductory science course for pre-service elementary school teachers) the students learned through a combination of individual and group hands-on in-class activities, technology (including PowerPoint presentations and short videos viewed prior to attending class), in-class worksheets, and in-class discussions. Students self-differentiated in how they interacted with the available teaching materials, deciding which activities to spend the most time on based on their individual needs (based on an online quiz taken the night before the class period, and their personal self-confidence with the material). Available in-class activities and worksheets were developed by the faculty member based on student scores on the online quiz as well as personal messages submitted through the course management system the night before the class meeting. While this placed a significant burden on the faculty member in terms of course preparation, it allowed for just-in-time teaching to take place. This poster describes the results of student mastery of content centered on the sun-earth-moon system (specifically seasons, moon phases, and eclipses) as compared to traditional classroom sections.

  15. How Pre-Service Teachers' Understand and Perform Science Process Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chabalengula, Vivien Mweene; Mumba, Frackson; Mbewe, Simeon

    2012-01-01

    This study explored pre-service teachers' conceptual understanding and performance on science process skills. A sample comprised 91 elementary pre-service teachers at a university in the Midwest of the USA. Participants were enrolled in two science education courses; introductory science teaching methods course and advanced science methods course.…

  16. Implementation and outcomes of inquiry-based learning in mathematics content courses for pre-service teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laursen, Sandra L.; Hassi, Marja-Liisa; Hough, Sarah

    2016-02-01

    This mixed-methods study describes classroom characteristics and student outcomes from university mathematics courses that are based in mathematics departments, targeted to future pre-tertiary teachers, and taught with inquiry-based learning (IBL) approaches. The study focused on three two-term sequences taught at two research universities, separately targeting elementary and secondary pre-service teachers. Classroom observation established that the courses were taught with student-centred methods that were comparable to those used in IBL courses for students in mathematics-intensive fields at the same institutions. To measure pre-service teachers' gains in mathematical knowledge for teaching, we administered the Learning Mathematics for Teaching (LMT) instrument developed by Hill, Ball and Schilling for in-service teacher professional development. Results from the LMT show that pre-service teachers made significant score gains from beginning to end of their course, while data from interviews and from surveys of learning gains show that pre-service teachers viewed their gains as relevant to their future teaching work. Measured changes on pre-/post-surveys of attitudes and beliefs were generally supportive of learning mathematics but modest in magnitude. The study is distinctive in applying the LMT to document pre-service teachers' growth in mathematical knowledge for teaching. The study also suggests IBL is an approach well suited to mathematics departments seeking to strengthen their pre-service teacher preparation offerings in ways consistent with research-based recommendations.

  17. A study on pre-service physics teachers' conceptualization on elementary quantum mechanics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Glauco Cohen Ferreira Pantoja

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available In this work, we present the results of a research in which we aimed to evidence obstacles and advances in pre-service teachers’ conceptualization on a subject involving elementary Quantum Mechanics. We based our analysis on the theories due to David Ausubel and Gèrard Vergnaud to study Meaningful Learning patterns, both in predicative and operatory form of knowledge, of six students involved in a didactical intervention composed of six classes, in which we emphasized both similarities and differences between Classical and Quantum Physics. With this intervention, we intended to teach the concepts of Physical System, Dynamical Variables, State of a Physical System and Time Evolution. We guided our data analysis by the methodology of content analysis (Bardin, 2008 and it turned possible to map Meaningful Learning patterns involving the four concepts to which were associated a set of essential features (in the predicative stage and a set of theorems-in-action (in the operatory stage relating the aim-concepts in problem-solving or conceptual mapping.

  18. Field Studies in Science Teacher Preparation Programs: Examples of Research-Oriented Earth and Environmental Science Field Projects for Pre-service and In-service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Neal, M. L.

    2005-12-01

    Science teaching reforms of the past 10 to 20 years have focused on a pedagogical shift from verification-style laboratory exercises, toward hands-on and inquiry-based constructivist teaching methods. Such methods, however, require teachers to be proficient in more than just basic content and teaching strategies. To be effective teachers, these professionals must also be skilled in the design and implementation of research-style investigations. At Loyola College in Maryland, topics in the earth and environmental sciences are used as the basis for field research projects that teach our students science content, along with how to design age-appropriate investigative activities and how to implement them in a stimulating, inquiry-based learning environment. Presented here are examples of three projects, demonstrating how these themes are woven throughout our pre- and in-service teacher preparation programs, at both undergraduate and graduate levels. 1. Watershed Studies - In our undergraduate, pre-service, elementary education teacher preparation program, students design and implement a water quality study in a local watershed. In the classroom, students use topographic maps and aerial photographs to delineate the watersheds' boundaries, to identify current land use patterns, and to select appropriate locations on the trunk stream for testing. Water testing at these sites is conducted during field trips, with data analysis and interpretation performed on-site. On-site work allows students to make connections between stream water quality and adjacent land use practices. Students then relate the content and research results to science teaching standards, in order to develop a unit-plan for use in their future classrooms. 2. Land Use Assessment - In our graduate, in-service, elementary and middle school science program, a local stream valley is used as the basis for an analysis of potential land use changes. Students first construct a topographic base map of the area, and

  19. Professional Identity and Burnout among Pre-School, Elementary, and Post-Elementary School Teachers in Israel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisherman, Shraga

    2015-01-01

    The novelty of the present study is its attempt to distinguish between pre-school, elementary, and post-elementary school teachers, regarding the relationship between professional identity and burnout. Two hundred and forty teachers responded to two questionnaires: professional identity and teacher burnout scales. Pre-school teachers were found to…

  20. Taking risks with a growth mindset: long-term influence of an elementary pre-service after school science practicum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cartwright, T. J.; Hallar, B.

    2018-02-01

    In this study, we present the long-term influence of an after school science practicum associated with an elementary science methods course. The practicum or field experience could be considered a community-based service learning programme as it is situated both within and for the community. Study participants included eight third- and fifth-grade teachers who had participated in elementary science methods courses; four of these teachers participated in the after school teaching practicum while four participants experienced a more traditional observation-based elementary science practicum. All of these teachers were in their second or third year teaching which was 3-4 years after taking the methods course. Investigation methods included questionnaires, field observations and semi-structured, individual interviews. Teachers more regularly utilised reform-based teaching strategies and cited the after school teaching practicum as preparing them to use these strategies in their own classrooms. All teachers exhibited a growth mindset to some degree, but the after school practicum participants did demonstrate a wider use of reformed-based teaching strategies and a higher growth mindset. Elementary teachers perceive risk associated with these key aspects of instruction: (1) managing instruction and classroom management, (2) teaching science through guided inquiry, and (3) overcoming adoptions in other 'mandated' curriculum like math and reading.

  1. Undergraduates' Implementations of Learning Stations as Their Service Learning among Elementary School Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chien, Chin-Wen

    2017-01-01

    Service learning provides pre-service educators with a context for having hands-on field experience and also assists in understanding the theory and practice. This study discusses 7 undergraduates' implementations of learning stations as their service learning with 28 elementary school students. Through thematic data analysis of interviews,…

  2. Influence of Ethics Education on Moral Reasoning among Pre-Service Teacher Preparation and Social Work Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salopek, Michelle M.

    2013-01-01

    This comparative case study examines the influence of ethics education on moral reasoning among pre-service teacher preparation and social work students. This study specifically investigates the ethical values of students enrolled in a teacher preparation and social work education program by their fourth year of study; the degree of ethical…

  3. Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions and Beliefs of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge on Algebra

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Cheng-Yao; Kuo, Yu-Chun; Ko, Yi-Yin

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary pre-service teachers' content knowledge in algebra (Linear Equation, Quadratic Equation, Functions, System Equations and Polynomials) as well as their technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) in teaching algebra. Participants were 79 undergraduate pre-service teachers who were…

  4. Cognitive and attitudinal predictors related to graphing achievement among pre-service elementary teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szyjka, Sebastian P.

    The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which six cognitive and attitudinal variables predicted pre-service elementary teachers' performance on line graphing. Predictors included Illinois teacher education basic skills sub-component scores in reading comprehension and mathematics, logical thinking performance scores, as well as measures of attitudes toward science, mathematics and graphing. This study also determined the strength of the relationship between each prospective predictor variable and the line graphing performance variable, as well as the extent to which measures of attitude towards science, mathematics and graphing mediated relationships between scores on mathematics, reading, logical thinking and line graphing. Ninety-four pre-service elementary education teachers enrolled in two different elementary science methods courses during the spring 2009 semester at Southern Illinois University Carbondale participated in this study. Each subject completed five different instruments designed to assess science, mathematics and graphing attitudes as well as logical thinking and graphing ability. Sixty subjects provided copies of primary basic skills score reports that listed subset scores for both reading comprehension and mathematics. The remaining scores were supplied by a faculty member who had access to a database from which the scores were drawn. Seven subjects, whose scores could not be found, were eliminated from final data analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted in order to establish validity and reliability of the Questionnaire of Attitude Toward Line Graphs in Science (QALGS) instrument. CFA tested the statistical hypothesis that the five main factor structures within the Questionnaire of Attitude Toward Statistical Graphs (QASG) would be maintained in the revised QALGS. Stepwise Regression Analysis with backward elimination was conducted in order to generate a parsimonious and precise predictive model. This

  5. Preparing Elementary Prospective Teachers to Teach Early Algebra

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hohensee, Charles

    2017-01-01

    Researchers have argued that integrating early algebra into elementary grades will better prepare students for algebra. However, currently little research exists to guide teacher preparation programs on how to prepare prospective elementary teachers to teach early algebra. This study examines the insights and challenges that prospective teachers…

  6. Changes in Pre-Service Teachers' Algebraic Misconceptions by Using Computer-Assisted Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, ByCheng-Yao; Ko, Yi-Yin; Kuo, Yu-Chun

    2014-01-01

    In order to carry out current reforms regarding algebra and technology in elementary school mathematics successfully, pre-service elementary mathematics teachers must be equipped with adequate understandings of algebraic concepts and self-confidence in using computers for their future teaching. This paper examines the differences in preservice…

  7. Beliefs and Attitudes about Science and Mathematics in Pre-Service Elementary Teachers, STEM, and Non-STEM Majors in Undergraduate Physics Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michaluk, Lynnette; Stoiko, Rachel; Stewart, Gay; Stewart, John

    2018-04-01

    Elementary teachers often hold inaccurate beliefs about the Nature of Science (NoS) and have negative attitudes toward science and mathematics. Using a pre-post design, the current study examined beliefs about the NoS, attitudes toward science and mathematics, and beliefs about the teaching of mathematics and science in a large sample study ( N = 343) of pre-service teachers receiving a curriculum-wide intervention to improve these factors in comparison with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM majors in other physics courses ( N = 6697) who did not receive the intervention, over a 10-year period. Pre-service teachers evidenced initially more negative attitudes about mathematics and science than STEM majors and slightly more positive attitudes than non-STEM majors. Their attitudes toward mathematics and science and beliefs about the NoS were more similar to non-STEM than STEM majors. Pre-service teachers initially evidenced more positive beliefs about the teaching of mathematics and science, and their beliefs even increased slightly over the course of the semester, while these beliefs in other groups remained the same. Beliefs about the NoS and the teaching of mathematics and science were significantly negatively correlated for STEM and non-STEM majors, but were not significantly correlated for pre-service teachers. Beliefs about the NoS and attitudes toward mathematics and science were significantly positively correlated for both pre-service teachers and STEM students pursing the most mathematically demanding STEM majors. Attitudes toward science and mathematics were significantly positively correlated with accurate beliefs about the teaching of mathematics and science for all student groups.

  8. Are You Ready to be a Mentor? Preparing Teachers for Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ambrosetti, Angelina

    2014-01-01

    The use of mentoring has nowadays become a predominant practice for the professional placement component of pre-service teacher education programs. Research however has identified that being an effective teacher does not make you an effective mentor. The present research investigated the role of professional development in the preparation of…

  9. Preparing Pre-Service Teachers to Integrate Technology in Education: A Synthesis of Qualitative Evidence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tondeur, Jo; van Braak, Johan; Sang, Guoyuan; Voogt, Joke; Fisser, Petra; Ottenbreit-Leftwich, Anne

    2012-01-01

    This study reviewed qualitative studies that focused on strategies to prepare pre-service teachers to integrate technology into their lessons. A meta-ethnography approach was utilized to locate, critically appraise, and synthesize the results of these studies. Based on an extensive search in the Web of Science, 19 articles were included in this…

  10. Pre-Service Teachers' Conceptions of Probability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Odafe, Victor U.

    2011-01-01

    Probability knowledge and skills are needed in science and in making daily decisions that are sometimes made under uncertain conditions. Hence, there is the need to ensure that the pre-service teachers of our children are well prepared to teach probability. Pre-service teachers' conceptions of probability are identified, and ways of helping them…

  11. Investigation By Skills of Pre-Service Science Teachers' Reflective Thinking From Journals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ufuk TÖMAN

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to determine reflective thinking skills of the pre-service science teachers according to data gathered from the journals in teacher training portfolios. Participants were third grade pre-service science teachers at Bayburt University, Faculty of Education, Department of Elementary Science Teacher Training Program. The data of this study were composed of totally 32 journals which 32 pre-service science teachers’ wrote in their teacher training portfolios. The journal of the pre-service science teachers were investigated through the method of document analysis. The statements in their journals were descriptively analyzed. From the statements in the pre-service science teachers’ journals, it was concluded that most of the pre-service science teachers’ technical reflective thinking skills were better than critical reflective thinking skills. In the area of critical reflective thinking skills that have almost no noteworthy. Work towards the development of pre-service teachers' reflective thinking skills are complemented by recommendations.

  12. English language pre-service and in-service teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes towards integration of students with learning difficulties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cimermanová Ivana

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The study of foreign languages is obligatory for all pupils in Slovakia, where the first foreign language is English. Conforming to integration legislation, pupils with special educational needs (SEN are taught in mainstream classes. Foreign language teachers, however, lack training and where not prepared how to apply teaching methods and techniques for pupils with SEN in the regular language learning class. In the study presented, 187 elementary school teachers filled out questionnaires dealing with integration of pupils with SEN and possible inclusion of learners with disabilities in Slovakia and a group of 56 university FLT students - teachers-to-be. Teachers are not forced and/or encouraged to take part in in-service courses or other education on how to teach these pupils. The pre-service teachers are offered courses on SEN teaching, however, these are not compulsory and mostly general education oriented. The majority of in-service and pre-service teachers felt that pupils with SEN should be taught in regular education class. The article also describes the current situation concerning integration of students with SEN using the official statistical data.

  13. University-School Partnerships: Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers Working Together to Teach Primary Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kenny, John Daniel

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports on a partnership approach preparing pre-service primary teachers to teach science. Partnerships involving pre-service teachers and volunteer in-service colleagues were formed to teach science in the classroom of the colleague, with support from the science education lecturer. Each pre-service teacher collaboratively planned and…

  14. Learning from Our Own Lessons: Pre-Service Teachers' Narratives of Teaching as an Experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wickstrom, Megan H.; Wilm, Stephanie; Mills, Emily; Johnson, Alexis; Leonard, Nicole; Larberg, Raegan

    2018-01-01

    Pre-service teachers need to develop habits of mind that allow them to grow as new teachers. This article describes an elementary mathematics methods course in which teaching as an experiment was used a framework for pre-service teachers to participate in action research by developing learning goals, observing and analyzing student thinking,…

  15. Pre-service teachers’ challenges in presenting mathematical problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desfitri, R.

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to analyzed how pre-service teachers prepare and assigned tasks or assignments in teaching practice situations. This study was also intended to discuss about kind of tasks or assignments they gave to students. Participants of this study were 15 selected pre-service mathematics teachers from mathematics education department who took part on microteaching class as part of teaching preparation program. Based on data obtained, it was occasionally found that there were hidden errors on questions or tasks assigned by pre-service teachers which might lead their students not to be able to reach a logical or correct answer. Although some answers might seem to be true, they were illogical or unfavourable. It is strongly recommended that pre-service teachers be more careful when posing mathematical problems so that students do not misunderstand the problems or the concepts, since both teachers and students were sometimes unaware of errors in problems being worked on.

  16. Addressing Pre-Service Teachers' Understandings and Difficulties with Some Core Concepts in the Special Theory of Relativity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selcuk, Gamze Sezgin

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this study is to investigate pre-service teachers' understanding of and difficulties with some core concepts in the special theory of relativity. The pre-service teachers (n = 185) from the Departments of Physics Education and Elementary Science Education at Dokuz Eylul University (in Turkey) participated. Both quantitative and…

  17. Investigating Pre-service Mathematics Teachers’ Geometric Problem Solving Process in Dynamic Geometry Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deniz Özen

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to investigate pre-service elementary mathematics teachers’ open geometric problem solving process in a Dynamic Geometry Environment. With its qualitative inquiry based research design employed, the participants of the study are three pre-service teachers from 4th graders of the Department of Elementary Mathematics Teaching. In this study, clinical interviews, screencaptures of the problem solving process in the Cabri Geomery Environment, and worksheets included 2 open geometry problems have been used to collect the data. It has been investigated that all the participants passed through similar recursive phases as construction, exploration, conjecture, validate, and justification in the problem solving process. It has been thought that this study provide a new point of view to curriculum developers, teachers and researchers

  18. Inclusion in Early Childhood Education: Pre-Service Teachers Voices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Majoko, Tawanda

    2016-01-01

    This study examined pre-service teachers' understanding, attitudes, preparation and concerns regarding inclusion in early childhood education (ECE) in Zimbabwe. Entrenched within inclusive pedagogy, this descriptive study draws on a sample of 24 pre-service teachers purposively selected from the largest teachers' college with the oldest…

  19. Oral Academic Language by Design: Bilingual Pre-Service Teachers' Purposeful Infusion of Paired Strategies during Science Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arreguín-Anderson, María G.; Alanis, Iliana

    2017-01-01

    This study explores ways in which university science courses can be infused with opportunities for pre-service teachers to design student student interactions that promote language development and content mastery. Participants included bilingual pre-service teachers enrolled in an elementary science approaches course and its school-based fieldwork…

  20. Pre-Service Teachers' Views of Inquiry Teaching and Their Responses to Teacher Educators' Feedback on Teaching Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Hye-Gyoung; Kim, Mijung; Kim, Byoung Sug; Joung, Yong Jae; Park, Young-Shin

    2013-01-01

    This study attempted to explore 15 Korean elementary pre-service teachers' views of inquiry teaching. During a science teaching methods course, pre-service teachers implemented a peer teaching lesson, had a group discussion to reflect on five teacher educators' comments on their first peer teaching practice, and revised and re-taught the lesson as…

  1. Pre- and in-Service Teachers Reading and Discussing Informational Texts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Theresa A. Deeney

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates U.S. elementary (kindergarten-Grade 6, ages 5-12 pre- and in-service teachers’ discussions of informational texts to understand current practices and identify needs with respect to how teachers support students in building knowledge from complex informational text as specified in the grade-level expectations of the Common Core State Standards adopted in many U.S. states. Transcripts and reflections from 17 in-service and 31 pre-service teachers’ informational text discussions were analyzed for teachers’ focus on the text, background knowledge, and text/background knowledge. In addition, transcripts were analyzed for the types of text ideas teachers targeted (details/main ideas, the comprehension demands placed on students, how teachers used follow-up moves to encourage higher level thinking, and how teachers use transcripts of their discussions to analyze and critique their own practice. Findings suggest that both pre- and in-service teachers draw heavily on students’ background knowledge and text details in their questioning; but differences exist in how pre- and in-service teachers use follow-up responses to promote knowledge building. Findings also suggest that both pre- and in-service teachers can use their transcripts to recognize areas of need, and offer themselves suggestions to better support students’ understanding. Implications are offered for teacher education and professional development.

  2. Literacy and Art: Collage for Pre-Service Teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alice J. Feret, EdD

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Art educators have a unique opportunity to develop and strengthen a crosscurricular foundation in literacy through art education. Enrolled in a content area reading course, pre-service teachers in art education at one, large southeastern university discovered that using language skills as a lens sharpened their observations of student performance in art classes at the elementary and high school levels. The inclusion of brief lessons featuring listening, reading, speaking, or writing strategies revealed unanticipated academic needs, which impacted classroom performance and artistic development. This increased awareness deepened preservice teachers’ understanding of young students as learners and allowed the preservice teachers to adjust their lesson planning and classroom management skills. The pre-service teachers were more confident in their practice as they witnessed the results of their efforts in terms of students’ improved levels of artistic achievements.

  3. "My Attitude, My Responsibility" Investigating the Attitudes and Intentions of Pre-Service Teachers toward Inclusive Education between Teacher Preparation Cohorts in Melbourne and Pretoria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subban, Pearl; Mahlo, Dikeledi

    2017-01-01

    This study explored the attitudes and intentions of pre-service teachers towards inclusive education, across two teacher preparation institutions in Australia and South Africa. There were multiple aims to the study: among these was a need to explore the impact of contextual factors on pre-service teacher attitudes towards inclusive education, and…

  4. Examination of Pre-Service Teacher's Training through Tutoring Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Hsiao-ping; Guerra, Myriam Jimena

    2017-01-01

    Pre-service teacher preparation in the United States is becoming progressively more challenging with respect to the demands on teachers. This study examined the impact of tutoring approach on pre-service teachers? skills to work with English language learners through a qualitative research design. Content analysis was used at the thematic level on…

  5. Rationale and Guidelines for a Pre-Crisis Curriculum to Prepare Healthy Preschool Children for Hospitalization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poster, Elizabeth C.

    Questions associated with an alternative approach to preparing nursery and elementary school children for hospitalization are addressed, and the basic components of a pre-crisis curriculum are outlined in this paper. Questions broached focus on (1) the effectiveness of a general curriculum approach as opposed to a crisis approach to preparing…

  6. Are Science Teachers Prepared to Promote Argumentation? A Case Study with Pre-Service Teachers in Bogotá City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Archila, Pablo Antonio

    2014-01-01

    This paper addresses the importance of argumentation in science education. A research project was done in order to know how a group of pre-service chemistry teachers has been prepared to promote students' argumentation. A Chemistry degree studies plan from a Colombian university was surveyed, and 18 future teachers' representations about…

  7. Using Innovative Resources and Programs to Prepare Pre- and In-Service Teachers for New Science Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinzler, R. J.; Short, J.; Contino, J.; Cooke-Nieves, N.; Howes, E.; Kravitz, D.; Randle, D.; Trowbridge, C.

    2014-12-01

    Leveraging the Rose Center for Earth and Space and active research departments in Earth and Planetary Science, Astrophysics, and Paleontology, the Education Department at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) offers an MAT program to prepare new Earth Science teachers (~100 new teachers by 2018) as well as a range of professional development (PD) opportunities for over 3,000 K-12 teachers annually, providing opportunities to learn with scientists; inquiry-based experiences; and standards-aligned resources. The AMNH produces innovative geoscience and other STEM resources supporting teacher and student science investigations with data visualizations and analysis tools, teaching case materials and other resources that provide rich nonfiction reading and writing opportunities for use in Earth and space science curricula that are integrated in the MAT and PD programs. Museum resources and the MAT and PD programs are aligned to support the recently released Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Common Core State Standards. The NGSS is a set of science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts and disciplinary core ideas to help cultivate teachers' and K-12 students' scientific habits of mind, develop their knowledge and abilities to engage in scientific investigations, and teach them how to reason in context; goals that closely align with those of the AMNH's teacher preparation and professional development programs. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (NRC, 2012) is a required text for the MAT program, and this text as well as the NGSS Performance Expectations guide the PD programs as well. Researchers working with Museum scientists and educators find it is not enough for programs for pre- and in-service teachers to provide access to resources. Research suggests that these programs need to engage pre- and in-service teachers in using and reflecting on these types of resources, as well as take

  8. Examination of Pre-Service Science Teachers' Activities Using Problem Based Learning Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ekici, Didem Inel

    2016-01-01

    In this study, both the activities prepared by pre-service science teachers regarding the Problem Based Learning method and the pre-service science teachers' views regarding the method were examined before and after applying their activities in a real class environment. 69 pre-service science teachers studying in the 4th grade of the science…

  9. The Views of the Pre-Service Teachers about the Creative Drama as a Method Used in Primary Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sengul, Ozge Aydin

    2016-01-01

    Purpose of the study is to investigate views of pre-service teachers about creative drama used as a method in elementary education. In line with this purpose, researchers examine the pre-service teachers' views about the importance of creative drama used as a method in course and kinds of activities that can be used in these courses. This study is…

  10. Caring Enough to Teach Science: Helping Pre-Service Teachers View Science Instruction as an Ethical Responsibility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grinell, Smith; Rabin, Colette

    2017-01-01

    The goal of this project was to motivate pre-service elementary teachers to commit to spending significant instructional time on science in their future classrooms despite their self-assessed lack of confidence about teaching science and other impediments (e.g., high-stakes testing practices that value other subjects over science). Pre-service…

  11. Pre-service teachers' metaphorical perceptions of "physics" as a concept

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aykutlu, Isil; Bayrak, Celal; Bezen, Sevim

    2018-02-01

    In this study, the aim is to reveal pre-service biology, chemistry and mathematics teachers' metaphorical perceptions for physics. This study was patterned by employing phenomenology, which is one of the qualitative research methods. Sampling of the study consists of 90 pre-service teachers enrolled at the departments of biology, chemistry, and mathematics education at the faculty of education of a state university in Ankara. A metaphor form was prepared to determine pre-service teachers' mental metaphors for the physics concept. Then, it was determined that a total of 80 pre-service teachers generated 34 different metaphors for physics concept. As a result of the study, 34 metaphors generated by pre-service teachers for "physics" concept were gathered under seven different categories. Also, it was determined that pre-service teachers express most frequently "life" (26,25%) and "a difficult to solve problem"(21,25%) which take place in conceptual categories.

  12. Moving Into Communities: Developing Cultural Competence with Pre-service Educators through Community Service-Learning Experiences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heather Coffey

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Research in teacher education suggests that field experiences in community settings can offer pre-service teachers a context for understanding the link between theory and practice. This paper documents the experiences of pre-service educators who participated in service-learning partnerships for thirty hours in multiple community settings in the southeast United States. Pre-service teachers not only volunteered in the community, but they also engaged in critically reflective journal writing and participated in evaluative class discussions. Students praised the benefits of a service experience in both school and community placements and discussed how interactions with the community agencies gave them the insight into how community organizations often play a significant role in the lives of the underserved students they will eventually teach. The author argues that the inclusion of a service-learning component in early pre-service teacher education field experiences has the potential to facilitate the examination of the relationships between community organizations and schools and encourage development of cultural competence among pre-service teachers. KEYWORDSservice-learning, pre-service teacher preparation, community partnerships

  13. A Study of Pre-Service Teachers Use of Representations in Their Proportional Reasoning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Kim

    2017-01-01

    Proportional reasoning is important to the field of mathematics education because it lies at the crossroads of additive reasoning in the elementary school and multiplicative reasoning needed for more advanced mathematics. This research reports on the representations used by pre-service teachers (PSTs) as they responded to tasks involving…

  14. Pre-service Teacher Extraneous Cognitive Load in the Pedagogical Content and Knowledge of Solar System Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Permana, I.; Redjeki, S.; Hamidah, I.; Safitri, N.

    2017-09-01

    This study reported the student’s Extraneous Cognitive Load (ECL) in the Pedagogical Content and Knowledge of solar system Course. Participants in the study were 31 pre-service elementary school teachers from the university in Bogor Indonesia. The data collected from ECL were obtained using a Likert 4-scale questionnaire and interview. After taking lectures, we asked for some mental effort from pre-service elementary school teachers to attend courses in order to assess the ECL. The courses include 3 topics and they were non-experimental worksheet, developing experimental worksheet using Vee Diagram framework, and analysis for curriculum by grade IV, V and VI. Results of the data analysis showed that the course strategy resulted by ECL was relatively low. The ECL increased in the course of curriculum analysis due to material complexity.

  15. Teaching Probability to Pre-Service Teachers with Argumentation Based Science Learning Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Can, Ömer Sinan; Isleyen, Tevfik

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study is to explore the effects of the argumentation based science learning (ABSL) approach on the teaching probability to pre-service teachers. The sample of the study included 41 students studying at the Department of Elementary School Mathematics Education in a public university during the 2014-2015 academic years. The study is…

  16. How Prepared Are Our Pre-Service Teachers to Integrate Technology? A Pilot Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sweeney, Trudy; Drummond, Aaron

    2013-01-01

    This study examines pre-service teachers' technological, pedagogical and content knowledge and the relationships between the factors influencing the development of this knowledge. It concludes with a discussion about the major implications of these findings for the improvement of pre-service teacher education courses. The participants were…

  17. Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions of Departmentalization of Elementary Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Fuchang

    2011-01-01

    This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of departmentalization of elementary schools, with an emphasis on teaching mathematics, as perceived by preservice teachers who shared their opinions through online discussion. Advantages include teachers' enthusiasm about and focused attention on the specialized area and students' easier…

  18. Preparing Net Gen pre-service teachers for digital native classrooms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valentin Ekiaka Nzai

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper explored Net Gen Bilingual pre-service teachers’ perspectives future digital native classrooms based on the National Education Technology Plan (2010 postulates. Participants were Seven Net Gen bilingual future teachers enrolled at a semester – long laboratory of practices project for Literacy Development for English Language Learners. Data were collected using Ginsburg’s (1989 narrative strategy, which consisted of analyzing information from participants’ life stories produced during two audiotaped focus group conversations. Findings showed that pre-service teachers had positive perceptions and beliefs toward the laboratory of practices built upon the experimental cyberlearning workstation frame designed by the authors. The hands-on experiences helped them enhance their digital native-like citizenship in order to meet future students’ individual abilities and learning styles, and stimulate teaching with digital technologies. Some recommendations and limitations are also addressed.

  19. New Materials for the Undergraduate Classroom to Build Pre-Service Teachers' NGSS Skills and Knowledge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egger, A. E.; Awad, A. A.; Baldwin, K. A.; Birnbaum, S. J.; Bruckner, M. Z.; DeBari, S. M.; Dechaine, J.; Ebert, J. R.; Gray, K. R.; Hauge, R.; Linneman, S. R.; Monet, J.; Thomas, J.; Varrella, G.

    2014-12-01

    As part of InTeGrate, teams of 3 instructors at 3 different institutions developed modules that help prepare pre-service teachers to teach Earth science aligned with the NGSS. Modules were evaluated against a rubric, which addresses InTeGrate's five guiding principles, learning objectives and outcomes, assessment and measurement, resources and materials, instructional strategies and alignment. As all modules must address one or more Earth-related grand challenge facing society, develop student ability to address interdisciplinary problems, improve student understanding of the methods of geoscience, use authentic geoscience data, and incorporate systems thinking, they align well with the NGSS. Once modules passed the rubric, they were tested by the authors in their classrooms. Testing included pre- and post-assessment of geoscience literacy and assessment of student learning towards the module goal; materials were revised based on the results of testing. In "Exploring Geoscience Methods with Secondary Education Students," pre-service science teachers compare geoscientific thinking with the classic (experimental) scientific method, investigate global climate change and its impacts on human systems, and prepare an interdisciplinary lesson plan that addresses geoscience methods in context of a socioscientific issue. In "Soils and Society," pre-service elementary teachers explore societal issues where soil is important, develop skills to describe and test soil properties, and create a standards-based Soils and Society Kit that consists of lessons and supporting materials to teach K-8 students about a soil-and-society issue. In "Interactions between Water, Earth's Surface, and Human Activity," students explore the effects of running water on shaping Earth's surface both over geologic time and through short-term flooding events, and produce a brochure to inform citizens of the impact of living near a river. The modules are freely available at http

  20. The Integration of Synchronous Communication Technology into Service Learning for Pre-Service Teachers' Online Tutoring of Middle School Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chao-Hsiu; Liao, Chen-Hung; Chen, Yi-Chieh; Lee, Chen-Feng

    2011-01-01

    To well prepare pre-service teachers for their future teaching, researchers and teacher-educators have been employing information and communication technology to improve pre-service teachers' learning of subject-matter knowledge, pedagogies, classroom-management skills, and so on. This study illustrates a service-learning project we conducted to…

  1. Promoting the Understanding of Photosynthesis among Elementary School Student Teachers through Text Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Södervik, Ilona; Mikkilä-Erdmann, Mirjamaija; Vilppu, Henna

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary school pre-service teachers' understanding of photosynthesis and to examine if a refutational text can support understanding of photosynthesis better than a non-refutational text. A total of 91 elementary school pre-service teachers read either a refutational or a non-refutational text…

  2. Technology Integration Coursework and Finding Meaning in Pre-Service Teachers' Reflective Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimmons, Royce; Miller, Brant G.; Amador, Julie; Desjardins, Christopher David; Hall, Cassidy

    2015-01-01

    This study seeks to inform teacher preparation programs regarding technology integration by understanding (1) relationships between tasks with specific technologies and pre-service teachers' critical thinking about technology integration and (2) relationships between how pre-service teachers are critically thinking about technology integration and…

  3. "It Is Like Putting Fire in the Children's Hands": A Comparative Case Study of Pre-Service Teachers' Knowledge of and Beliefs about Education for Democracy in an Established and Emerging Post-Conflict Democracy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lanahan, Brian K.; Phillips, Michele S.

    2014-01-01

    This report documents and compares two cases of pre-service elementary teachers' beliefs about democracy and education for democracy in the USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina along with contextual factors influencing the similarities and differences among these beliefs. Findings suggest that US pre-service elementary teachers have a self-proclaimed…

  4. THE RELEVANCE OF THE VISUAL ARTS CURRICULUM IN THE PREPARATION OF PRE-SERVICE VISUAL ARTS TEACHERS IN UGANDA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julius Ssegantebuka

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The research examined the relevance of the visual arts curriculum content with the view of assessing the extent to which it equips pre-service visual arts teachers with the knowledge and skills required for effective teaching. The study adopted a descriptive case study design. Data were collected from three purposively selected National Teacher Colleges (NTCs, six tutors and 90 final year pre-service visual arts teachers participated in this study. The research findings showed that teacher education institutions are inadequately preparing pre-service visual arts teachers because of the gaps in the Visual Arts Curriculum (VAC used in NTCs. Some of these gaps are attributed to the structure of the visual arts curriculum tutors use in NTCs. The visual arts curriculum lacks explicit visual arts assessment strategies; it has wide and combined visual arts content to be covered within a short period of two years and the limited knowledge of the available art materials, tools and equipment. The research recommended the restructuring of the VAC to accommodate more practical; and the introduction of specialized knowledge in the visual arts education (VAE to enable tutors decipher practical knowledge from the theory studied so as to adopt an integrated approach in VAE curriculum.

  5. Pre-Service Teachers' Attitudes toward Use of Vee Diagrams in General Physics Laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keles, Özgül; Özsoy, Sibel

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to determine pre-service teachers' attitudes toward use of Vee diagrams in general physics laboratory. The sample of the study consists of 29 (16 girls and 13 boys) freshmen students enrolling to elementary school science education program at one of the universities in Turkey. To gather the data of the study…

  6. How pre-service elementary teachers express emotions about climate change and related disciplinary ideas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hufnagel, Elizabeth J.

    As we face the challenges of serious environmental issues, science education has made a commitment to improving environmental literacy, in particular climate literacy (NRC, 2012; 2013). With an increased focus on climate change education in the United States, more research on the teaching and learning of this problem in science classrooms is occurring (e.g. Arslan, Cigdemoglu, & Moseley, 2012; Svihla & Linn, 2012). However, even though people experience a range of emotions about global problems like climate change (Hicks & Holden, 2007; Ojala, 2012; Rickinson, 2001), little attention is given to their emotions about the problem in science classrooms. Because emotions are evaluative (Boler, 1999; Keltner & Gross, 1999), they provided a lens for understanding how students engage personally with climate change. In this study, I drew from sociolinguistics, social psychology, and the sociology of emotions to examine a) the social interactions that allowed for emotional expressions to be constructed and b) the ways in which pre-service elementary teachers constructed emotional expressions about climate change in a science course. Three overall findings emerged: 1) emotions provided a means of understanding how students' conceptualized climate to be relevant to their lives, 2) emotional expressions and the aboutness of these expressions indicated that the students conceptualized climate change as distanced, both temporally and spatially, and 3) although most emotional constructions were distanced, there were multiple instances of emotional expressions in which students took climate change personally. Following a discussion of the findings, implications, limitations, and directions for future research are also described.

  7. Integrating Service-Learning Pedagogy for Preservice Elementary Teachers' Science Identity Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Rachel E.; Bradbury, Leslie U.; McGlasson, Martha A.

    2015-04-01

    The purpose of this article is to explore how preservice elementary teachers (PSETs) interpreted their service-learning experiences within a pre-methods environmentally focused course and how their interpretations shaped their science teaching identities. Along a continuum of service-learning experiences were events that emphasized science learning, that focused on science teaching, and that were transitional, with elements of both science learning and science teaching. These various service-learning experiences were designed to be "boundary experiences" for professional identity development (Geijsel & Meijers in Educational Studies, 3(4), 419-430, 2005), providing opportunities for PSETs to reflect on meanings in cultural contexts and how they are related to their own personal meanings. We analyzed written reflections and end-of-course oral reflection interviews from 42 PSETs on their various service-learning experiences. PSETs discussed themes related to the meanings they made of the service-learning experiences: (a) experiencing science in relation to their lives as humans and future teachers, (b) interacting with elementary students and other PSETs, and (c) making an impact in the physical environment and in the community. The connections that PSETs were making between the discursive spaces (service-learning contexts) and their own meaning-making of these experiences (as connected to their own interests in relation to their future professions and daily lives) shows evidence of the potential that various types of science service-learning experiences have for PSETs in developing inbound science teaching identity trajectories (Wenger in Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998). The findings of this study point to positive outcomes for PSETs when they participate in structured service-learning experiences along a learning to teaching continuum (246).

  8. Pre-Service Teachers' Self-Efficacy Beliefs towards Educational Technologies Integration in Tanzania

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raphael, Christina; Mtebe, Joel S.

    2017-01-01

    This study examines pre-service teachers' (N = 386) self-efficacy beliefs towards educational technologies integration in the classroom at the two colleges in Tanzania that prepare secondary education teachers. Using regression analysis, the study found out that the determinants of self-efficacy beliefs among pre-service teachers towards…

  9. Transforming a Traditional Inquiry-Based Science Unit into a STEM Unit for Elementary Pre-Service Teachers: A View from the Trenches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, Matthew; Fulton, Lori

    2016-01-01

    The need to prepare students with twenty-first-century skills through STEM-related teaching is strong, especially at the elementary level. However, most teacher education preparation programs do not focus on STEM education. In an attempt to provide an exemplary model of a STEM unit, we used a rapid prototyping approach to transform an…

  10. "Change My Thinking Patterns towards Maths": A Bibliotherapy Workshop for Pre-Service Teachers' Mathematics Anxiety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Sue; Raven, Monica

    2014-01-01

    In small-group workshops, a joint initiative of the researcher and the student counsellor, primary (elementary) pre-service teachers (PSTs) wrote about critical incidents in their mathematics learning, and shared them with the group. Then, PSTs read extracts about mathematics anxiety (maths anxiety), and wrote and shared their reflections…

  11. Impact of a Faith-Based Social Justice Course on Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Critchfield, Meredith

    2018-01-01

    Rapid demographic shifts are occurring around the country. United States' public schools are more diverse than any time in history. To help prepare pre-service teachers for these shifts, this small-scale qualitative case study explored the impact of a required social justice course for pre-service educators at a large private Christian university…

  12. Are elementary school teachers prepared to tackle bullying? : A pilot study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oldenburg, Beau; Bosman, Rie; Veenstra, Rene

    The aim of this pilot study was to investigate to what extent elementary school teachers were prepared to tackle bullying. Interview data from 22 Dutch elementary school teachers (M age=43.3, 18 classrooms in eight schools) were combined with survey data from 373 students of these teachers (M

  13. Trickle down Mathematics: Adult Pre-Service Elementary Teachers Gain Confidence in Mathematics--Enough to Pass It Along?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashun, Mary Apea; Reinink, John

    2009-01-01

    Much research (Ma, 1999; Cohen & Leung, 2004; English, 2003) has been done on mathematics education and pre-service teachers with special emphasis on how the mathematics is taught and the psychology of the pre-service teachers. While there is concern among North American mathematicians that mathematics instruction in K-12 grades needs to be…

  14. First-year Pre-service Teachers in Taiwan—Do they enter the teacher program with satisfactory scientific literacy and attitudes toward science?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chin, Chi-Chin

    2005-10-01

    Scientific literacy and attitudes toward science play an important role in human daily lives. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether first-year pre-service teachers in colleges in Taiwan have a satisfactory level of scientific literacy. The domains of scientific literacy selected in this study include: (1) science content; (2) the interaction between science, technology and society (STS); (3) the nature of science; and (4) attitudes toward science. In this study, the instruments used were Chinese translations of the Test of Basic Scientific Literacy (TBSL) and the Test of Science-related Attitudes. Elementary education majors (n = 141) and science education majors (n = 138) from four teachers’ colleges responded to these instruments. The statistical results from the tests revealed that, in general, the basic scientific literacy of first-year pre-service teachers was at a satisfactory level. Of the six scales covered in this study, the pre-service teachers displayed the highest literacy in health science, STS, and life science. Literacy in the areas of the nature of science and earth science was rated lowest. The results also showed that science education majors scored significantly higher in physical science, life science, nature of science, science content, and the TBSL than elementary science majors. Males performed better than females in earth science, life science, science content, and the TBSL. Next, elementary education majors responded with more “don’t know” responses than science education majors. In general, the pre-service teachers were moderately positive in terms of attitudes toward science while science education majors had more positive attitudes toward science. There was no significant difference in attitudes between genders. Previous experience in science indicated more positive attitudes toward science. The results from stepwise regression revealed that STS, the nature of science, and attitudes toward science could explain 50

  15. Examining the Accuracy and Justification of Geometric Constructions Made by Pre-Service Teachers with Dynamic Geometry Software and the Awareness They Gained throughout the Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozkurt, Ali

    2018-01-01

    This study examined pre-service teachers' accuracy for geometric constructions with dynamic geometry software, their justification for the accuracy of geometric figures, and their awareness they gained throughout the process. The data come from a sample of 71 elementary grade pre-service teachers activity form completed as a part of geometry…

  16. MULTIMODAL FEEDBACK PROVISION IN IMPROVING PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ COMPETENCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fazri Nur Yusuf

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Studies on potentials of feedback over English language teaching seem not to have not been well-revealed, including studies on the use of feedback to improve English pre-service teachers’ competence. The present study investigates to what extent a multimodal feedback can influence pre-service teachers’ teaching, and which teaching aspects are influenced. Twenty five pre-service teachers taking Microteaching Course served as respondents supervised by a course advisor. The data were collected by teacher observation in a rating-scale form, self-appraisal, and interviews. The data were analyzed by using correlated sample t-test and the eight teaching components proposed by Brown (2001. The results showed that after multimodal feedback provision, pre-service teachers indicated an improvement significantly in seven out of eight teaching aspects. The provision of multimodal feedback could improve their teaching competence on preparation, instructional objective elicitation, mastery of instructional materials, use of media, and classroom management, including classroom language. But, the results do not indicate that they perform well on reflection and follow-up due to some reasons. In addition, the results evince that multimodal feedback provision could improve pre-service teachers’ pedagogical competence when the multimodal feedback is integrated with content, interpersonal relationship, and management.

  17. Developing Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge in pre-service science teachers: Support from blended learning

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Alayyar, G.; Fisser, Petra; Voogt, Joke

    2012-01-01

    The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework has been used to prepare pre-service science teachers at the Public Authority of Applied Education and Training in Kuwait for ICT integration in education. Pre-service teachers worked in teams to design an ICT solution for an

  18. Developing Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge in pre-service science teachers : Support from blended learning

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Alayyar, G.; Fisser, Petra; Voogt, Joke

    2012-01-01

    The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework has been used to prepare pre-service science teachers at the Public Authority of Applied Education and Training in Kuwait for ICT integration in education. Pre-service teachers worked in teams to design an ICT solution for an

  19. Pre-Service Teachers' Conceptions of Effective Teacher Talk: Their Critical Reflections on a Sample Teacher-Student Dialogue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ji-Eun; Kim, Kyoung-Tae

    2016-01-01

    This study aimed to explore pre-service elementary teachers' (PSTs') conceptions of effective teacher talk in mathematics instruction, which were interpreted primarily based on the concept of communicative approach. This was accomplished through a task that involves analyzing and evaluating a sample teacher-student dialogue. This study…

  20. Effects of Teacher Preparation Courses: Do Graduates Use What They Learned to Plan Mathematics Lessons?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morris, Anne K.; Hiebert, James

    2017-01-01

    We investigated whether the content pre-service teachers studied in elementary teacher preparation mathematics courses was related to their performance on a mathematics lesson planning task 2 and 3 years after graduation. The relevant mathematics knowledge was studied when the teachers were freshmen, 5 to 6 years earlier. Results showed that when…

  1. Fostering nature of science teaching in elementary pre-service teachers through developing reflection on teaching and learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pongsanon, Khemmawadee

    Although teacher educators have successfully helped K-12 teachers' develop adequate views of NOS, their views have not been transferred to their students. It is evident that K-12 students' understanding of NOS still does not align with the recommendation of the reforms document, indicating that holding an adequate view of NOS is insufficient for teaching NOS effectively. Instead, to teach NOS, teachers must develop the knowledge for translating their understanding of NOS into the forms accessible to students. The current study investigated the influence of four contexts of reflective practice on prospective elementary teachers' learning of how and intention to teach NOS. The participants were 18 pre-service teachers enrolled in a science methods course that was tied to a field experience course. To understand the development of the participants' intentions, knowledge of instructional strategies, and knowledge of assessment for teaching NOS, multiple data were collected throughout the science methods course and the field experience. Data sources included different versions of participants' lesson plans, video recordings of their teaching and teaching debriefings, online weekly teaching reflections, final semester reflection and other artifacts from the methods course. Content analysis was conducted with all data. The data revealed that the participants' knowledge of how and intentions to teach NOS were developed throughout the science methods course. Toward the conclusion of the semester, the participants showed intention to include NOS in their science instruction. With regard to strategies, participants planned to apply explicit reflective NOS instruction in the context of inquiry-based activities and stories from children's literature. They also planned to use age-appropriate language to refer to the targeted NOS aspects. In terms of assessment, by the conclusion of the semester the participants tended to use more formal assessment strategies. They reported

  2. Shifting Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs about Mathematics Teaching: The Contextual Situation of a Mathematics Methods Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jao, Limin

    2017-01-01

    For pre-service teachers (PSTs) who have been exposed to traditional approaches, teacher education courses can be a revelatory experience in their development as educators. This study explores if Canadian upper elementary/lower secondary (grades 4-10) PSTs change their beliefs about mathematics teaching as a result of taking a mathematics methods…

  3. What teacher educators consider as best practices in preparing pre ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper reports on an investigation into what teacher educators consider to be best practices in how to prepare pre-service teachers to effectively deal with the challenges of teaching Mathematics in multilingual contexts, and how what teacher educators consider as best practices inform their own classroom practice.

  4. Minority Pre-service Teachers' and Faculty Training on Climate Change Education in Delaware State University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozbay, G.; Fox-Lykens, R.; Veron, D. E.; Rogers, M.; Merrill, J.; Harcourt, P.; Mead, H.

    2015-12-01

    Delaware State University is working toward infusing undergraduate education with climate change science and enhancing the climate change learning content of pre-service teacher preparation programs as part of the MADE-CLEAR project (www.madeclear.org). Faculty development workshops have been conducted to prepare and educate a cadre of faculty from different disciplines in global climate science literacy. Following the workshops, the faculty participants have integrated climate literacy tenets into their existing curriculum. Follow up meetings have helped the faculty members to use specific content in their curriculum such as greenhouse gases, atmospheric CO2, sea level rise, etc. Additional training provided to the faculty participants in pedagogical methods of climate change instruction to identify common misconceptions and barriers to student understanding. Some pre-service teachers were engaged in summer internships and learned how to become messenger of climate change science by the state parks staff during the summer. Workshops were offered to other pre-service teachers to teach them specific climate change topics with enhanced hands-on laboratory activities. The participants were provided examples of lesson plans and guided to develop their own lesson plans and present them. Various pedagogical methods have been explored for teaching climate change content to the participants. The pre-service teachers found the climate content very challenging and confusing. Training activities were modified to focus on targeted topics and modeling of pedagogical techniques for the faculty and pre-service teachers. Program evaluation confirms that the workshop participant show improved understanding of the workshop materials by the participants if they were introduced few climate topics. Learning how to use hands-on learning tools and preparing lesson plans are two of the challenges successfully implemented by the pre-service teachers. Our next activity includes pre-service

  5. Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers' Competencies in the Laboratory: A Cross-Grade Study in Solution Preparation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karatas, F. O.

    2016-01-01

    One of the prerequisites for chemistry teacher candidates is to demonstrate certain laboratory skills. This article aims to determine and discuss the competencies of pre-service chemistry teachers in a chemistry laboratory context working with solution chemistry content. The participants in this study consisted of a group of pre-service chemistry…

  6. Teacher Preparation for Movement Education: Increasing Pre-Service Teachers' Competence for Working with Young Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sevimli-Celik, Serap; Johnson, James E.

    2016-01-01

    This study explores pre-service teachers' perceptions of movement education, the benefits they perceive from participating in a 12-week movement education module in a course on play, and the module's effects on their confidence and competence in regard to incorporating movement into a curriculum. Findings suggest that the pre-service teachers…

  7. Wikis: Developing Pre-Service Teachers' Leadership Skills and Knowledge of Content Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reid-Griffin, Angelia; Slaten, Kelli M.

    2016-01-01

    In this initial phase of our multi-year research study we set out to explore the development of leadership skills in our pre-service secondary teachers after using an online wiki, Wikispaces. This paper presents our methods for preparing a group of 13 mathematics and 3 science secondary pre-service teachers to demonstrate the essential knowledge,…

  8. Evaluation of Mathematical Game Design Skills of Pre-Service Classroom Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pilten, Pusat; Pilten, Gülhiz; Divrik, Ramazan; Divrik, Fatma

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the research is to evaluate the games prepared by pre-service classroom teachers within the scope of "Mathematics Teaching 1" and "Mathematics Teaching 2" courses, which are included in the undergraduate classroom teaching programs in Turkey, and to make predictions on the game design skills of pre-service…

  9. Science teacher development and the lens of social media: An investigation into the identity and influences upon the development of elementary pre-service science teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wall, Steven D.

    Pre-service teacher education is committed to the cultivation of different forms of competency that include, but are not limited to, content knowledge and pedagogical skill (Levin, Hammer, & Coffey, 2009; Yerrick, 2005). While advances in practice have been made, pre-service elementary teachers (PS-ESTs) continue to exhibit anxiety and doubt about self-efficacy in science teaching. Teacher education is designed to encourage PS-ESTs to formulate useful practices, but PS-ESTs must first overcome limitations and anxiety generated by past, personal experiences and an acknowledged discomfort with science. While this goal is accomplished through contexts designed with that intent (e.g. methods courses, field experiences), challenges remain. Twenty-first century elementary teacher education research needs to examine influences associated with individual identities within specific roles (Gee, 2000), teaching and learning contexts and their inherent influences, and interactions that are enhanced by the increasing presence and influence of social networks. To examine and better understand identity, contexts, and interactional influences, blogs from two cohorts of PS-ESTs were examined to better understand how teacher education practices influenced PS-ESTs and to determine PS-ESTs beliefs about the teacher's role. The study was designed to answer the following research questions: "What is learned about the identity of PS-ESTs authored through social media, what contextual influences are acknowledged by PS-ESTs, and what interactions are occurring and what roles are they playing in the development of PS-ESTs?" This study used grounded theory and perceptual control theory (PCT) to analyze and reduce data to make assertions about PS-ESTs' development as teachers and influences upon their practices. Findings illuminated components of PS-EST teaching identities and suggested multiple implications within different domains, including the role of PST understandings of science

  10. Digital Technology and Teacher Preparation: The Instructional Role of Social Media Among Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trytten, Bria Klotz

    As social media use becomes more prevalent among teachers, it becomes vital to understand how teachers are using social media and what effects it has, if any, on teaching practices in the classroom. This study sought to explore the relationship between pre-service teachers' use of social media and their perceptions of inquiry-based science education, an important teaching best practice. This study is unique in that it explores pre-service teachers' use of three social media platforms--Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest--and how pre-service teachers plan to apply them to classroom education. Previous studies focused on only one social media platform, usually Twitter or Facebook. This study surveyed 113 pre-service teachers in their 3rd or 4th year of school at one of two teacher colleges. The survey employed multiple choice, open-ended, and Likert-type questions to assess pre-service teachers' use of social media as well as their attitudes surrounding inquiry-based instruction. In order to better explain and analyze survey results, fourteen survey participants were interviewed with follow-up questions to elaborate on both social media use and inquiry attitudes. Findings indicated that the pre-service teachers used social media, and overwhelmingly Pinterest, to find lesson plans and classroom organizational ideas. Cited reasons for this practice included convenience, variety of lesson planning, and easily searchable databases. The study found statistical significance in that teachers who aspire to teach lower grade levels will turn to social media to find lesson plans more frequently than those who aspire to teach higher grade levels. The study found social media use had no statistically significant effect on the level of inquiry-based teaching that the participants aimed to achieve in their future classrooms.

  11. Could Practicum Placements in Contrasting Contexts Support the Preparation of Pre-Service Teachers for an Envisaged Inclusive Education System? A South African Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rusznyak, Lee; Walton, Elizabeth

    2017-01-01

    In contexts where inclusive education is nascent, teacher educators face the challenge of preparing pre-service teachers for a system that does not yet exist. While this might be possible through university-based coursework, difficulties arise when so few sites that model inclusive pedagogies are available for practicum placements. This article…

  12. PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ TRAINING IN INFORMATION COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE ESL CLASSROOMS IN MALAYSIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chan Yuen FOOK

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Today there is sufficient evidence that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT henceforth has a significant influence on the teaching and learning process that takes places in the classroom. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the ESL pre-service teachers’ attitudes, competency and preparation in integrating ICT in their teaching and learning activities. The study employed a quantitative survey method and involved a total of 70 pre-service Teaching English as Second Language (TESL teachers in the Faculty of Education from a public university in Malaysia. These pre-service teachers, who had undergone 12 weeks of practicum teaching in secondary schools, were given a set of questionnaire and the data gathered from the questionnaires were statistically analyzed. The results indicated that the pre-service teachers do possess positive attitudes, moderate level of competency and are adequately prepared in integrating ICT in the classroom. The study also highlighted that the lack of facilities and technical malfunction in schools as the biggest obstacle for the pre-service teachers in their efforts to integrate ICT in the classroom. These result suggested that teachers must be well prepared for ICT use in the classroom. Therefore continuous training and ICT courses should be seen as solution in assisting teachers strengthen their ICT skills and in encouraging them to keep up to date with newer technologies.

  13. The Embeddedness of White Fragility within White Pre-Service Principals' Reflections on White Privilege

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hines, Mack T., III

    2016-01-01

    This study analyzes the prevalence of white fragility within the six white, pre-service principals' online responses to readings about white privilege. Six white, pre-service principals were asked to provide commentary to class readings on the relevance of white privilege to their preparation for future positions as principals. The findings showed…

  14. Developing Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Pre-Service Science Teachers: Support from Blended Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alayyar, Ghaida M.; Fisser, Petra; Voogt, Joke

    2012-01-01

    The "Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge" (TPACK) framework has been used to prepare pre-service science teachers at the Public Authority of Applied Education and Training in Kuwait for ICT integration in education. Pre-service teachers worked in teams to design an ICT solution for an authentic problem they faced during in-school…

  15. Perceptions on the Role of a Pre-Service Primary Teacher Education Program to Prepare Beginning Teachers to Teach Mathematics in Far North Queensland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chigeza, Philemon; Jackson, Cliff; Neilson, Aaron

    2017-01-01

    This paper employs a collaborative auto-ethnographic method to reflect on perceptions and design of a pre-service primary teacher mathematics education program in a regional university and the role of that program to prepare beginning teachers for classroom mathematics practice in Far North Queensland. A four-phase analysis that reflected on: a…

  16. Factors That Predict Pre-Service Teachers' Teaching Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corcoran, Roisin P.; O'Flaherty, Joanne

    2018-01-01

    Understanding the factors that contribute to an effective teacher has the potential to influence selection and preparation of pre-service teachers and may influence student outcomes. Prior research suggests a relationship between teacher characteristics (academic achievement, verbal ability, gender) and teacher effectiveness, however, these…

  17. Teachers' Perspectives of Children's Mental Health Service Needs in Urban Elementary Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, James Herbert; Horvath, Violet E.; Wei, Hsi-Sheng; Van Dorn, Richard A.; Jonson-Reid, Melissa

    2007-01-01

    This study uses a phenomenological approach to investigate elementary school teachers' perspectives on children's mental health service needs. Focus groups were conducted at two elementary schools with differing levels of available social services in a moderate-sized urban midwestern school district. Data collection centered on six prominent…

  18. Caring Enough to Teach Science. Helping Pre-service Teachers View Science Instruction as an Ethical Responsibility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grinell, Smith; Rabin, Colette

    2017-11-01

    The goal of this project was to motivate pre-service elementary teachers to commit to spending significant instructional time on science in their future classrooms despite their self-assessed lack of confidence about teaching science and other impediments (e.g., high-stakes testing practices that value other subjects over science). Pre-service teachers in science methods courses explored connections between science and ethics, specifically around issues of ecological sustainability, and grappled with their ethical responsibilities as teachers to provide science instruction. Survey responses, student "quick-writes," interview transcripts, and field notes were analyzed. Findings suggest that helping pre-service teachers see these connections may shape their beliefs and dispositions in ways that may motivate them to embark on the long road toward improving their science pedagogical content knowledge and ultimately to teach science to their students more often and better than they otherwise might. The approach may also offer a way for teachers to attend to the moral work of teaching.

  19. Preparing Pre-Service Teachers to Teach Primary Science: An Integrated Approach Using the Theme of Sustainability

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Donna

    2014-01-01

    An integrated approach to assessment afforded pre-service teachers the opportunity to learn about a local sustainability issue through three learning areas: science and technology, the arts and studies of society and environment (SOSE). Three sustainability issues chosen by the pre-service teachers are presented in this paper highlighting the…

  20. Enhancing the metalinguistic abilities of pre-service teachers via coursework targeting language structure knowledge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purvis, Caralyn J; McNeill, Brigid C; Everatt, John

    2016-04-01

    Low metalinguistic knowledge of pre-service and in-service teachers is likely to restrict the provision of evidence-based literacy instruction in the classroom. Despite such concerns, relatively few studies have examined the effects of teacher preparation coursework in building pre-service teachers' language structure knowledge. This study examined the effects of 7 h of language structure coursework, delivered over 7 weeks, on 121 New Zealand pre-service teachers in their initial year of study. Changes in participants' phonological awareness, morphological awareness, and orthographic knowledge were tracked across the teaching period. The impact of the coursework for participants who presented with strong spelling (n = 24) and poor spelling (n = 24) ability was also compared. The cohort demonstrated significant gains across all measures. Strong spellers responded more favourably to the teaching than poor spellers, even when accounting for initial levels of meta-linguistic knowledge. Implications for the development of teacher preparation programmes that enhance the provision of effective literacy instruction are discussed.

  1. The Effects of Dynamic Geometry Software and Physical Manipulatives on Pre-Service Primary Teachers’ Van Hiele Levels and Spatial Abilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatih Karakuş

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the study was to compare the influence of dynamic geometry software activities and influence of the physical manipulatives and drawing activities on the spatial ability and van Hiele levels of pre-service primary school teachers in a geometry course. A quasi-experimental statistical design was used in the study. The participants were 61 pre-service primary teachers in the second year of their undergraduate program in the Department of Elementary Education at Afyon Kocatepe University. A total of 32 pre-service teachers (computer group were trained in the dynamic geometry based activities and 29 pre-service teachers (physical-drawing group were trained in the physical manipulative and drawing based activities. In order to determine the two groups of the pre-service teachers’ geometric thinking levels, the van Hiele Geometry Test and in order to determine the two groups of the pre-service teachers’ spatial ability, The Purdue Spatial Visualization Test was used as the pre-test and post-test. The results of the study showed that there was no difference on the post-test of the two groups related to the van Hiele levels and spatial abilities. Moreover, both groups have significantly higher achievement on the post-test compared to the pre-test.

  2. Addressing pre-service teachers' understandings and difficulties with some core concepts in the special theory of relativity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Selcuk, Gamze Sezgin

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this study is to investigate pre-service teachers' understanding of and difficulties with some core concepts in the special theory of relativity. The pre-service teachers (n = 185) from the Departments of Physics Education and Elementary Science Education at Dokuz Eylul University (in Turkey) participated. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in this study. Students' understanding of and difficulties with core elements (time, length, mass and density) were tested using a paper-and-pencil questionnaire (including four questions) and in-depth interviews after the instruction of related modern physics topics. The analyses of the collected data were based on quantitative and qualitative techniques. The results indicate that pre-service teachers at different academic levels have specific and considerable difficulties with proper time, time dilation, proper length, mass and relativistic density concepts. In this paper, the conclusions of the study and implications for physics teaching are discussed.

  3. Impact of STS Issue Oriented Instruction on Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Views and Perceptions of Science, Technology, and Society

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amirshokoohi, Aidin

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of Science, Technology, Society (STS) issue oriented science methods course on pre-service teachers' views and perceptions toward STS issues and instruction as well as their levels of environmental literacy. The STS issue oriented curriculum was designed to help pre-service teachers improve…

  4. Sexual Orientation Topics in Elementary Teacher Preparation Programs in the USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jennings, Todd; Sherwin, Gary

    2008-01-01

    This investigation is a descriptive study documenting the inclusion of sexual orientation (gay and lesbian) topics in a sample of 65 public university elementary teacher preparation programs across the USA (representing the preparation of 14,000-19,000 new teachers annually). Findings indicate that only 55.6% of programs address sexual orientation…

  5. A General Investigation of the In-Service Training of English Language Teachers at Elementary Schools in Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ebru Melek KOÇ

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available This study presents a critical diagnosis of in-service teacher-training activities offered to English-language teachers in Turkey and aims to investigate whether those teachers are satisfied with the activities. Thirty-two English-language teachers participated in this study. Data were collected from 32 elementary-school teachers of English as a foreign language, using a general evaluation form prepared by the researcher. The results indicate that the teachers are not satisfied with their in-service teacher-training activities and that in-service training does not fulfil their needs. The study also proposes an in-service teacher training model in distance format.

  6. Developing pre-service science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge by using training program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Udomkan, Watinee; Suwannoi, Paisan

    2018-01-01

    A training program was developed for enhancing pre-service science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The pre-service science teachers are able to: understand science curriculum, knowledge of assessment in science, knowledge of students' understanding of science, instructional strategies and orientations towards science teaching, which is conceptualized as PCK [5]. This study examined the preservice science teachers' understandings and their practices which include five pre-service science teachers' PCK. In this study, the participants demonstrated their PCK through the process of the training program by writing content representations (CoRes), preparing the lesson plans, micro-teaching, and actual teaching respectively. All pre-service science teachers' performs were collected by classroom observations. Then, they were interviewed. The results showed that the pre-service science teachers progressively developed knowledge components of PCK. Micro-teaching is the key activities for developing PCK. However, they had some difficulties in their classroom teaching. They required of sufficient ability to design appropriate instructional strategies and assessment activities for teaching. Blending content and pedagogy is also a matter of great concern. The implication of this study was that science educators can enhance pre-service science teachers' PCK by fostering their better understandings of the instructional strategies, assessment activities and blending between content and pedagogy in their classroom.

  7. Preparing pre-service teachers to integrate technology into inquiry-based science education: Three case studies in The Netherlands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tran, Trinh-Ba; Ed van den Berg, Ed; Beishuizen, Jos; Ellermeijer, Ton

    2015-01-01

    Integration of technology (e.g. measuring with sensors, video measurement, and modeling) into secondary-school science teaching is a need globally recognized. A central issue of incorporating these technologies in teaching is how to turn manipulations of equipment and software into manipulations of ideas. Therefore, preparation for pre-service teachers to apply ICT tools should be combined with the issues of minds-on inquiring and meaning-making. From this perspective, we developed a course within the post-graduate teacher-education program in the Netherlands. During the course, pre-service teachers learnt not only to master ICT skills but also to design, teach, and evaluate an inquiry-based lesson in which the ICT tool was integrated. Besides three life sessions, teachers’ learning scenario also consisted of individual tasks which teachers could carry out mostly in the school or at home with support materials and online assistance. We taught three iterations of the course within a design-research framework in 2013, 2014 and collected data on the teacher learning processes and outcomes. The analyses of these data from observation, interviews, questionnaires, and documents were to evaluate implementation of the course, then suggest for revisions of the course set-up, which was executed and then assessed again in a subsequent case study. Main outcomes of the three case studies can be summarized as follows: within a limited time (3 life sessions spread over 2–3 months), the heterogeneous groups of pre-service teachers achieved a reasonable level of competence regarding the use of ICT tools in inquiry-based lessons. The blended set-up with support materials, especially the Coach activities and the lesson-plan form for an ICT-integrated inquiry-based lesson, contributed to this result under the condition that the course participants really spent considerable time outside the life sessions. There was a need for more time for hands-on, in-group activities in life

  8. Preparing pre-service teachers to integrate technology into inquiry-based science education: Three case studies in The Netherlands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tran, Trinh-Ba; van den Berg, Ed; Ellermeijer, Ton; Beishuizen, Jos

    2016-05-01

    Integration of technology ( e.g. measuring with sensors, video measurement, and modeling) into secondary-school science teaching is a need globally recognized. A central issue of incorporating these technologies in teaching is how to turn manipulations of equipment and software into manipulations of ideas. Therefore, preparation for pre-service teachers to apply ICT tools should be combined with the issues of minds-on inquiring and meaning-making. From this perspective, we developed a course within the post-graduate teacher-education program in the Netherlands. During the course, pre-service teachers learnt not only to master ICT skills but also to design, teach, and evaluate an inquiry-based lesson in which the ICT tool was integrated. Besides three life sessions, teachers' learning scenario also consisted of individual tasks which teachers could carry out mostly in the school or at home with support materials and online assistance. We taught three iterations of the course within a design-research framework in 2013, 2014 and collected data on the teacher learning processes and outcomes. The analyses of these data from observation, interviews, questionnaires, and documents were to evaluate implementation of the course, then suggest for revisions of the course set-up, which was executed and then assessed again in a subsequent case study. Main outcomes of the three case studies can be summarized as follows: within a limited time (3 life sessions spread over 2-3 months), the heterogeneous groups of pre-service teachers achieved a reasonable level of competence regarding the use of ICT tools in inquiry-based lessons. The blended set-up with support materials, especially the Coach activities and the lesson-plan form for an ICT-integrated inquiry-based lesson, contributed to this result under the condition that the course participants really spent considerable time outside the life sessions. There was a need for more time for hands-on, in-group activities in life

  9. Investigating the Information Technology Courses for Pre-service and In-service English Teachers in Hong Kong

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chi Cheung Ruby Yang

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper focuses on the views of twenty-six pre-service and eight in-service English teachers in Hong Kong concerning the information technology courses in their teacher education programmes. The findings of the study show that while both software applications and technological integration in teaching are highlighted in the course outline, the instructor focused more on the application aspect, with the technology integration being less emphasised. Another important finding is that PowerPoint was still the most commonly used application in teaching. Likewise, usually the involved pre-service and in-service teachers just simply used different computer applications as alternatives to traditional teaching resources. This may reflect the fact that the information technology courses are not adequate to prepare teachers to teach with it.

  10. Integrating Science Content and Pedagogy in the Earth, Life, and Physical Sciences: A K-8 Pre-Service Teacher Preparation Continuum at the University of Delaware

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madsen, J.; Allen, D.; Donham, R.; Fifield, S.; Ford, D.; Shipman, H.; Dagher, Z.

    2007-12-01

    University of Delaware faculty in the geological sciences, biological sciences, and the physics and astronomy departments have partnered with faculty and researchers from the school of education to form a continuum for K- 8 pre-service teacher preparation in science. The goal of the continuum is to develop integrated understandings of content and pedagogy so that these future teachers can effectively use inquiry-based approaches in teaching science in their classrooms. Throughout the continuum where earth science content appears an earth system science approach, with emphasis on inquiry-based activities, is employed. The continuum for K-8 pre-service teachers includes a gateway content course in the earth, life, or physical sciences taken during the freshman year followed by integrated science content and methods courses taken during the sophomore year. These integrated courses, called the Science Semester, were designed and implemented with funding from the National Science Foundation. During the Science Semester, traditional content and pedagogy subject matter boundaries are crossed to stress shared themes that teachers must understand to teach standards-based science. Students work collaboratively on multidisciplinary problem-based learning (PBL) activities that place science concepts in authentic contexts and build learning skills. They also critically explore the theory and practice of elementary science teaching, drawing on their shared experiences of inquiry learning during the Science Semester. The PBL activities that are the hallmark of the Science Semester provide the backdrop through which fundamental earth system interactions can be studied. For example in a PBL investigation that focuses on kids, cancer, and the environment, the hydrologic cycle with emphasis on surface runoff and ground water contamination is studied. Those students seeking secondary certification in science will enroll, as a bridge toward their student teaching experience, in an

  11. Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers: Are New Mexico's Education School Graduates Ready to Teach Reading and Mathematics in Elementary Classrooms?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greenberg, Julie; Jacobs, Sandi

    2009-01-01

    As a follow up to National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ's) national studies of how well elementary teachers are prepared to teach reading and mathematics, NCTQ looks at preparation in both subjects in all undergraduate teacher preparation programs in New Mexico. This analysis evaluated New Mexico's eight undergraduate elementary teacher…

  12. Pre-service Home Economics Teachers’ Attitudes on Selected Aspects of Practical Teaching

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francka Lovšin Kozina

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the results of a study conducted among pre-service home economics teachers from the Faculty of Education of the University of Ljubljana with different levels of practical experience in teaching. The pre-service Home Economics teachers in the 3rd year of their studies had just completed their first class of teaching experience in contrast to the pre-service teachers from the 4th year of their faculty studies, who had conducted more teaching lessons. The results showed that the 4th-year pre-service teachers had fewer doubts and problems concerning the planning and conducting of a lesson. They also statistically significantly agreed that they are sufficiently prepared to teach than the 3rd-year pre-service teachers are. The results showed that the majority of the pre-service teachers agreed that the feedback from their colleagues was helpful for their professional development. The results suggest the importance of practical teaching experience in the context of professional development and the intention to continue a career in education. However, the results also revealed some critical points in the teacher’s development of competency. The results suggest problems related to the application of theoretical knowledge on the children’s development in practice and problems related to classroom management in specific situations.

  13. Community-Based Service-Learning as a Source of Personal Self-Efficacy: Preparing Preservice Elementary Teachers to Teach Science for Diversity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cone, Neporcha

    2009-01-01

    Bandura (1997) contends that when compared to other sources of efficacy, mastery experiences, when presented appropriately, have the most powerful influence on self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of community-based service learning (CBSL) experiences on preservice elementary teachers' personal self-efficacy…

  14. Case-Based Pedagogy Using Student-Generated Vignettes: A Pre-Service Intercultural Awareness Tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cournoyer, Amy

    2010-01-01

    This qualitative study investigated the effectiveness of case-based pedagogy as an instructional tool aimed at increasing cultural awareness and competence in the preparation of 18 pre-service and in-service students enrolled in an Intercultural Education course. Each participant generated a vignette based on an instructional challenge identified…

  15. Pre-Service Teachers’ Opinions Regarding Using Films in Social Studies Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tuba Cengelci

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Fundamental knowledge, skills, attitudes and values for community life are taught students through various courses in elementary school. Social studies course play an important role in teaching process of mentioned knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to students in primary education level. Various learning resources are used in social studies course for introducing students past, today and future with people, places and cultures. Films are powerful pedagogical tools for social studies teachers. Films play an important role in introducing historical, cultural, geographical, social, politic issues, perspectives and characteristics belong to people, society, or nations. This study was aimed at examining advantages and disadvantages of using film in social studies education from the perspective of social studies pre-service teachers.The purpose of the study is to examine pre-service teachers’ understandings about using films in social studies course. Within the scope of the main purpose of the present study, the following research questions were addressed:•What do pre-service teachers think about using film in social studies? •What do pre-service teachers think about contributions of films to social studies education?•What do pre-service teachers think about problems can be encountered when using film in social studies? •What are pre-service teachers’ recommendations about using film in social studies?Qualitative research methods were used in the study. Participants of the study were 3rd and 4th grade pre-service teachers enrolled in social studies teacher training program. Focus group interview was used in the study. First group consisted of 8 pre-service teachers from the 3rd grade, and second group had 6 pre-service teachers from the 4th grade. In the analysis of data, content analysis technique was used.Findings were examined under the four main themes which were classified as “using film in social studies”,

  16. School Counseling Faculty Perceptions and Experiences Preparing Elementary School Counselors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodman-Scott, Emily; Watkinson, Jennifer Scaturo; Martin, Ian; Biles, Kathy

    2016-01-01

    School counselors' job roles and preferences reportedly vary by educational level (i.e., elementary, middle and high school); however, several organizations, such as the American School Counselor Association, conceptualize and recommend school counseling practice and preparation through a K-12 lens. Little is known about how or if school…

  17. Academic gender stereotypes of pre-service teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ćirović Ivana

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This research was aimed at studying the content of academic gender stereotypes of pre-service teachers who are being prepared for working in different cycles of education. The sample included 408 students of teaching programmes of the Teacher Training College, Faculty of Mathematics and Faculty of Philology in Belgrade. It has been established that future class and subject teachers have gender stereotypes about the interests and achievements of students in different school subjects. pre-service teachers from both groups are of the opinion that girls get interested more easily than boys in the majority of school subjects, as well as that girls are more talented for the subjects in the field of humanities and languages, while boys are more talented for the subjects in the field of sciences. Pre-service teachers estimate that boys typically have a low achievement in languages, arts and music, while girls have a low achievement in physics, computer science, technical sciences and physical education. Since teachers’ gender stereotypes can affect students’ achievement, educational and career choices, it is important to raise awareness about the content and consequences of such beliefs in teachers and focus on certain actions towards their altering. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 179034: Od podsticanja inicijative, saradnje, stvaralaštva u obrazovanju do novih uloga i identiteta u društvu i br. 47008: Unapređivanje kvaliteta i dostupnosti obrazovanja u procesima modernizacije Srbije

  18. Improving the Mathematics Preparation of Elementary Teachers, One Lesson at a Time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berk, Dawn; Hiebert, James

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, we describe a model for systematically improving the mathematics preparation of elementary teachers, one lesson at a time. We begin by identifying a serious obstacle for teacher educators: the absence of mechanisms for developing a shareable knowledge base for teacher preparation. We propose our model as a way to address this…

  19. The Urban Teaching Cohort: Pre-Service Training to Support Mental Health in Urban Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, Tammy; Dinnen, Hannah; Smith-Millman, Marissa K.; Dixon, Maressa; Flaspohler, Paul D.

    2017-01-01

    Supporting students' mental health needs is critical in high-poverty urban school districts where many students are at risk for mental health problems. Although teacher-student relationships are at the core of student mental health promotion in the classroom, many teacher preparation programmes do not adequately prepare pre-service teachers…

  20. Wikis: Developing pre-service teachers’ leadership skills and knowledge of content standards

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angelia Reid-Griffin

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available In this initial phase of our multi-year research study we set out to explore the development of leadership skills in our pre-service secondary teachers after using an online wiki, Wikispaces. This paper presents our methods for preparing a group of 13 mathematics and 3 science secondary pre-service teachers to demonstrate the essential knowledge, skills and dispositions of beginning teacher leaders. Our findings indicate the pre-service teachers' overall satisfaction with demonstrating leadership through collaborative practices. They were successful in these new roles as teacher/collaborator within the context of communication about content standards. Though the candidates participated in other collaborative tasks, this effort was noted for bringing together technology, content standards and leadership qualities that are critical for beginning teachers. Implications for addressing the preservice teachers' development of leadership skills, as they become professional teachers will be shared.

  1. Historic Preservation and Elementary Student Extracurricular Community Service

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morris, Ronald V.

    2016-01-01

    Elementary students survey buildings in an extracurricular community service project to learn social studies and historic preservation. From these experiences students formed values and dispositions by engaging in a constructivist process of creating knowledge by examining their community. They gathered data, transformed it into information, and…

  2. TADALURING Microteaching Learning Model (TMLM: Preparing Professional Teacher by Pre-Service Training

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arifmiboy

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available As a certified professional, teacher forms indispensable roles in achieving the learning objectives. The complexity of teacher’s profession decidedly requires the teacher to master a number of competencies and skills. One of them is to master the basic teaching skills. Realizing the complexities of the teacher’s profession and the requirement of teacher’s profession, LPTK –Faculty of Teacher Training and Education– which produces professional teacher, requires enhancing the teacher’s quality and creativity through pre-service teaching and training. Microteaching is one of the efforts to prepare the candidate for a professional teacher in higher education. The growth of a number of students being served with the availability of micro teaching laboratories is, however, disproportionate. Consequently, the problems faced are the time management, the laboratory utilization, the availability of sufficient microteaching infrastructures as well as the implementation of micro teaching itself. One of the ways to solve the problems is to develop a microteaching model adapting the force driving sophisticated ICT named TADALURING Microteaching Learning Model (TMLM. The Instructional Systems Design (ISD made use of developing the model is Borg and Gall procedures. The cyclical phases of conducting the research were preliminary research, development, field-testing, and dissemination. The research finding indicates that the trial-tested model is stated valid, practical, and effective. The TADALURING Microteaching Learning Model (TMLM is essentially accentuated on a face-to-face classroom, online and offline practices.

  3. Pre-Service Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Teaching Science and Their Science Learning at Indonesia Open University

    OpenAIRE

    Nadi SUPRAPTO; Ali MURSID

    2017-01-01

    This study focuses on attitudes toward (teaching) science and the learning of science for primary school among pre-service teachers at the Open University of Indonesia. A three-year longitudinal survey was conducted, involving 379 students as pre-service teachers (PSTs) from the Open University in Surabaya regional office. Attitudes toward (teaching) science’ (ATS) instrument was used to portray PSTs’ preparation for becoming primary school teachers. Data analyses were used, including descrip...

  4. Mapping Geographical Knowledge and Skills Needed for Pre-Service Teachers in Teacher Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Terri Bourke

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available In Australia, for more than two decades, a “social science” integrated framework was the favored approach for delivering subjects such as history and geography. However, such interdisciplinary approaches have continued to attract criticism from various parts of the academic and public spheres, and since 2009, a return to teaching the disciplines has been heralded as the “new” way forward. Using discourse analysis techniques associated with Foucauldian archeology, the purpose of this article is to examine the Australian Curriculum: Geography document to ascertain the discourses necessary for pre-service teachers to enact effective teaching of geography in a primary setting. Then, based on pre-service teachers’ online survey responses, the article investigates whether such future teachers have the knowledge and skills to interpret, deliver, and enact the new geography curriculum in primary classrooms. Finally, as teacher educators, our interest lies in preparing pre-service teachers effectively for the classroom, so that the findings are used to inform the content of a teacher education course for pre-service primary teachers.

  5. Pre-Service Elementary Mathematics Teachers’ Generalization Processes of Patterns: Strategies and Justifications [İlköğretim Matematik Öğretmeni Adaylarının Örüntüleri Genelleme Süreçleri: Stratejiler ve Gerekçelendirmeler

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yaşar Akkan

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to investigate the generalizations created by pre-service elementary mathematic teachers, to explore the justifications predicted for their generalizations, and to determine any relationships between generalization and justification. We used phenomenology design from qualitative research methods in the study. The study was conducted by the 4th grade students/pre-service teachers who are studying in a department of Elementary Mathematics Teaching at a university located in the Eastern Black Sea region. Data collection tools are linear and quadratic pattern problems which are prepared with the support of literature and teaching staff and in which different solution strategies and justification types can be produced. Interviews were analyzed using the descriptive analysis technique within the conceptual framework of the research. The results show that the most common type of strategy used by pre-service teachers was functional strategy, contextual, recursive, guess-check and mixed strategies. While many of the pre-service teachers have justified their verification by numerical control, pre-service teachers who have justified through explanation and external knowledge sources have also been identified. [Bu çalışmanın amacı, ilköğretim matematik öğretmeni adaylarının farklı örüntü problemleri ile ilgili genelleme stratejilerini incelemek, genellemelerinin altında yatan gerekçelendirmeleri keşfetmek ve genelleme ile gerekçelendirmeleri arasındaki ilişkileri belirlemektir. Çalışma nitel araştırma desenlerinden olgubilim modeline göre tasarlanmıştır. Çalışma, Doğu Karadeniz Bölgesindeki bir üniversitenin İlköğretim Matematik Öğretmenliği programında öğrenim gören 4. sınıf öğretmen adayları ile yürütülmüştür. Veri toplama araçları, hem literatür hem de öğretim üyesi desteğiyle hazırlanan ve farklı çözüm stratejilerinin ve gerekçelendirme çeşitlerinin

  6. Does Classroom Management Coursework Influence Pre-service Teachers' Perceived Preparedness or Confidence?

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Neill, Sue; Stephenson, Jennifer

    2012-01-01

    There has been conjecture that completing focused coursework units on classroom management during pre-service teacher preparation might lead to increased feelings of preparedness and confidence. This study reports the preparedness in managing specific problem behaviours, familiarity, and confidence in using management strategies and models of…

  7. The Challenges and Success of Implementing Climate Studies Lessons for Pre-Professional Teachers at a Small Historically Black College to Engage Student Teaching of Science Pedagogy and Content Skill Based Learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, J.; Wider-Lewis, F.; Miller-Jenkins, A.

    2017-12-01

    This poster is a description of the challenges and success of implementing climate studies lessons for pre-service teachers to engage student teaching pedagogy and content skill based learning. Edward Waters College is a historical black college with an elementary education teacher program focused on urban elementary school teaching and learning. Pre-Service Elementary Educator Students often have difficulty with science and mathematics content and pedagogy. This poster will highlight the barriers and successes of using climate studies lessons to develop and enhance pre-service teachers' knowledge of elementary science principles particularly related to climate studies, physical and earth space science.

  8. Connecting Attitudes toward Teaching and Pedagogical Formation Courses: A Study of Turkish Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parylo, Oksana; Süngü, Hilmi; Ilgan, Abdurrahman

    2015-01-01

    This quantitative study aimed to examine (1) the pre-service teachers' attitudes toward the teaching profession and (2) whether their attitudes are impacted by the pedagogical formation courses that are part of teacher preparation. The findings of the pre-test showed that participants had positive attitudes toward teaching as a profession.…

  9. Examining My Window and Mirror: A Pedagogical Reflection from a White Mathematics Teacher Educator about Her Experiences with Immigrant Latina Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalinec-Craig, Crystal A.

    2014-01-01

    In this pedagogical reflection, a White mathematics teacher educator describes what she learned from three Latina pre-service teachers who were recent immigrants from Mexico while they completed an elementary mathematics methods course. Using Rochelle Gutierrez's (2012) metaphor of a window and mirror, the author interrogates her own identity and…

  10. In-service and Pre-service Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Attitudes and Decisions Regarding Teaching Mathematics Using Mobile Phones

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wajeeh M. Daher

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Several researches examined students' mathematics learning using mobile phones, while very few researches examined mathematics teaching using this new educational tool. This research attempts to analyze in-service and pre-service teachers' attitudes and decisions regarding mathematics teaching with mobile phones using activity theory. More specifically, three case studies are analyzed in this research: One concerns an in-service teacher who used mobile phones in her class, the second case study involves a pre-service teacher who collaborated with the in-service teacher to teach mathematics lessons using mobile phones, and the third case study is about 15 pre-service teachers who were observers of the experiment but did not use mobile phones in their teaching. We held one-hour semi-structured interviews with the in-service teacher, with the leading pre-service teacher and with the group of other observer pre-service teachers. This happened three times during the academic year: at the beginning of the experiment, after three months and after it ended. The research findings indicate that different factors have an impact on the attitudes and decisions of the teacher: history of the teacher using technologies in teaching, perceptions of the teacher using technologies in teaching, community’s teacher, rules regulating the use of technologies in teaching mathematics, and division of labor. For example, questions as to who decides which technologies to use in the classroom and who should prepare the learning material for the students. Contradictions were identified in mathematics teachers' activity when utilizing mobile phones in their teaching. These contradictions hinder or slow such utilization. Community, especially its leading members, mediated and helped overcome the activity contradictions that arose throughout the experiment regarding the teaching processes in and/or out of the mathematics classroom.

  11. The Role of Mobile Technologies in Pre-Service Foreign Language Teacher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tolosa, Constanza

    2017-01-01

    Pre-service teacher education plays a pivotal role in ensuring that future teachers are prepared to integrate technology effectively to their teaching. One way of improving readiness in future teachers is integrating mobile technologies to discipline-specific teacher education courses. This article presents three case studies drawn from…

  12. Profesional Competencies among Pre-Service Teachers in Special Education from Their Perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theeb, Raied Sheikh; Muhaidat, Mohammad Ali; Al-Zboon, Eman Khleif

    2014-01-01

    Due to the contemporary educational reform, the movement of teachers' preparation based on the competencies became the most prominent field of study. The current study aimed at exploring Professional Competencies among special education pre-service teachers (N = 112) and the level of their competencies' practice from their perspectives.…

  13. The Appeal and Applicability of ICT Study Materials – The Viewpoint of Generation-Z Pre-Service Teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomaž Bratina

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Effective contemporary teaching is closely connected to the inclusion of ICT, which comprises technological tools and the preparation and distribution of multimedia learning content. Therefore, one of the objectives of pre-service teacher education is to produce a technologically competent teacher. For this reason, the study programe includes a range of learning content where pre-service teachers engage in practical work in order to learn about the uses of ICT, tools and procedures for the production and distribution of multimedia learning content. Current generations of pre-service teachers are considered as belonging to Generation Z, or digital natives, and we can consequently expect experience, greater interest in studying the material and motivation to use ICT in their work. After the conclusion of the ICT in Education course, a study was prepared focusing on the learning materials that pre-service teachers find interesting, how they assess the applicability and transferability of this material and on the assessment of their own qualification for preparing multimedia learning materials. The results have shown that contemporary generations are familiar with working with ICT; however, they lack the experience and knowledge for using programs and tools. They want more knowledge and practical work in preparing multimedia learning material and in its distribution. The possibility of distributing multimedia learning content has resulted in a notable interest in working with Moodle, which is evident from the comparison of results from this year’s generation and those from two years ago. Students believe that the syllabus provided is interesting and useful. The acquired knowledge will be useful in the production of future learning materials and for work in other courses. The findings of the study will be used in the updating and preparation of future syllabi.

  14. Attitudes of Pre-Service Music Teachers towards Value Education in Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egilmez, Özgür; Egilmez, Hatice Onuray; Engür, Doruk

    2018-01-01

    In the music education curriculum, which is implemented from 2017-2018 academic year, the directive for teaching values was prepared for the first time. In this context, the research was conducted by comparing the attitudes of pre-service music teachers towards values education in terms of some variables, which will be included in the courses of…

  15. Pre-hospital critical care by anaesthesiologist-staffed pre-hospital services in Scandinavia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krüger, A J; Lossius, H M; Mikkelsen, S

    2013-01-01

    All Scandinavian countries provide anaesthesiologist-staffed pre-hospital services. Little is known of the incidence of critical illness or injury attended by these services. We aimed to investigate anaesthesiologist-staffed pre-hospital services in Scandinavia with special emphasis on incidence...

  16. Changes in School Food Preparation Methods Result in Healthier Cafeteria Lunches in Elementary Schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behrens, Timothy K; Liebert, Mina L; Peterson, Hannah J; Howard Smith, Jennifer; Sutliffe, Jay T; Day, Aubrey; Mack, Jodi

    2018-05-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a districtwide food best practices and preparation changes in elementary schools lunches, implemented as part of the LiveWell@School childhood obesity program, funded by LiveWell Colorado/Kaiser Permanente Community Health Initiative. Longitudinal study examining how school changes in best practices for food preparation impacted the types of side items offered from 2009 to 2015 in elementary school cafeterias in a high-need school district in southern Colorado. Specifically, this study examined changes in side items (fruits, vegetables, potatoes, breads, and desserts). In Phase 1 (2009-2010), baseline data were collected. During Phase 2 (2010-2011), breaded and processed foods (e.g., frozen nuggets, pre-packaged pizza) were removed and school chefs were trained on scratch cooking methods. Phase 3 (2011-2012) saw an increased use of fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables after a new commodity order. During Phase 4 (2013-2015), chef consulting and training took place. The frequency of side offerings was tracked across phases. Analyses were completed in Fall 2016. Because of limited sample sizes, data from Phases 2 to 4 (intervention phases) were combined for potatoes and desserts. Descriptive statistics were calculated. After adjusting for length of time for each phase, Pearson chi-square tests were conducted to examine changes in offerings of side items by phase. Fresh fruit offerings increased and canned fruit decreased in Phases 1-4 (p=0.001). A significant difference was observed for vegetables (p=0.001), with raw and steamed vegetables increasing and canned vegetables decreasing from Phase 1 to 4. Fresh potatoes (low in sodium) increased and fried potatoes (high in sodium) decreased from Phase 1 to Phases 2-4 (p=0.001). Breads were eliminated entirely in Phase 2, and dessert changes were not significant (p=0.927). This approach to promoting healthier lunch sides is a promising paradigm for improving elementary

  17. Developing Pre-service Teachers' Technology Integration ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Developing Pre-service Teachers' Technology Integration Competencies in Science and Mathematics Teaching: Experiences from Tanzania and Uganda. ... This study investigated the ICT integration practices in pre-service teacher education in the School of Education at Makerere University (College of Education and ...

  18. Alignment of Content and Pedagogy in an Earth Systems Course for Pre-Service Middle School Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cole, T.; Teed, R.; Slattery, W.

    2006-12-01

    In 2003 the Ohio Department of Education developed the Ohio K-12 Science Content Standards. These new science standards substantially tracked the goals and objectives of The National Research Council's National Science Education Standards. The Ohio K-12 Science Content Standards followed the National Standards in the content areas of Physical Science, Life Science and Earth and Space Science. At the same time, the state's K-12 schools were gearing up for a new high school graduation requirement, the successful passing of a high-stakes Ohio Graduation Test, given during a student's tenth grade year. Earth and Space science questions make up approximately one third of the science test items. To make it more likely that teachers have the requisite science content knowledge Ohio has recently changed from certification of K-12 teachers to a more content rich licensure standard. This new licensure requirement splits the older certification designation of K-8 into the elementary and middle school licensure areas. Under the new licensure requirements middle school licensure candidates wishing to earn a science concentration now have to take 15 semester hours of content class work in Science. The Ohio Department of Education has strongly suggested that teacher preparation institutions develop new courses for middle school educators in all four areas of concentration, including science. In response to this call for new courses science education faculty in all science areas worked together to develop a comprehensive suite of courses that would target the science content standards guidelines in the state and national standards. The newly developed Earth and Space science course is titled Earth Systems. The course carries 4.5quarter hours of credit and is intended expressly for pre-service middle school (grades 4- 9) science teachers. The content is structured around three modules of study that are designed to develop interdisciplinary science content within the context of past

  19. EVALUATION OF THE DISTANCE EDUCATION PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' OPINIONS ABOUT TEACHING PRACTICE COURSE (CASE OF IZMIR CITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meral GUVEN

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to determine the distance education pre-service teachers’ opinions about the teaching practice course. The study was conducted with descriptive method. For data collection, analysis and interpretation, qualitative research method was used. Out of the students enrolled at Open Education Faculty, Department of Pre-school Education and Department of English Language Teaching, 27 students were volunteer to participate to the study. As a result of the study; it was found that some of the distance education pre-service teachers felt ready and enthusiastic about the teaching practice course albeit others did not feel ready enough. In addition, the pre-service teachers mostly mentioned about their expectations for self-development and self-evaluation. The pre-service teachers considered that this course provided them the opportunities to know the students and learning environments, also to prepare the plans effectively, to learn about teaching-learning processes, to manage class and time, to benefit from coordinator teachers and to evaluate themselves. However, they also complained about lack of information about plans and teaching practice files, difficulties in class-management, problems in efficient time-management, indifference of the coordinator teachers, inadequate equipment at application schools; lack of supervision and limited opportunity to have experience. Thus, they suggested that the coordinator teachers should be trained considering these problems also the application should be selected after physical check; besides the pre-service teachers should be supervised and provided accurate samples about plan and field preparation, thus frequent contact meetings should be arranged.

  20. The Pain and Ecstasy: Pre-service Teacher Perceptions On Changing Teacher Roles and Technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dean Dyer

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available Are pre-service teachers really open to change? Are they prepared for the shifts in their roles that are likely to occur over the next few decades? Are they developing a critical consciousness, to better assume leadership roles in educational change? These questions framed this exploration which qualitatively investigated pre-service teachers' perceptions of their role as educators in relation to advanced technologies. Pre-service teachers were asked to respond to a reading identifying (via an open ended think paper assignment what they liked and did not like about the future vision of education offered in the reading. Their responses indicate a strong conflict between the desire to work with motivated, responsible students who are actively engaged in their own learning and their notion of what a teacher should be, based on their own experiences in schools.

  1. Exploring Pre-Service EFL Teachers’ Beliefs About Their Roles in an Elementary School Classroom in Regard to Pedagogical and Emotional Aspects of Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iván Aguirre Sánchez

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available This article aims at exploring the beliefs of a group of pre-service teachers from a B.Ed. program in Bilingual Education in Bogotá (Colombia, regarding their role as teachers in some general pedagogical and emotional aspects of their primary school students inside the classroom. They were observed over 16 weeks during their pre-service practice and were asked to submit weekly log entries with pedagogical reflections on their performance. Results show that these pre-service teachers believe motivation and identification of their students’ academic needs to be their main role inside the classroom.

  2. Do the pre-service education programmes for midwives in India prepare confident ‘registered midwives’? A survey from India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bharati Sharma

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The graduates of the diploma and degree programmes of nursing and midwifery in India are considered skilled birth attendants (SBAs. This paper aimed to assess the confidence of final-year students from pre-service education programmes (diploma and bachelor's in selected midwifery skills from the list of midwifery competencies of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM. Design: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Gujarat, India, involving 633 final-year students from 25 educational institutions (private or government, randomly selected, stratified by the type of programme (diploma and bachelor's. Students assessed their confidence on a four-point scale, in four midwifery competency domains – antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum, and newborn care. Explorative factor analysis was used to reduce skill statements into separate subscales for each domain. Results: Overall, 25–40% of students scored above the 75th percentile and 38–50% below the 50th percentile of confidence in all subscales for antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum, and newborn care. The majority had not attended the required number of births prescribed by the Indian Nursing Council. Conclusions: The pre-service education offered in the diploma and bachelor's programmes in Gujarat does not prepare confident SBAs, as measured on selected midwifery competencies of the ICM. One of the underlying reasons was less clinical experience during their education. The duration, content, and pedagogy of midwifery education within the integrated programmes need to be reviewed.

  3. Preparedness of Pre-Service Teachers for Inclusive Education in the Solomon Islands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Umesh; Simi, Janine; Forlin, Chris

    2015-01-01

    Recent policy changes in the Pacific Islands have seen a strong emphasis on implementing inclusive education. Preparing teachers for this change in education will be essential if they are to have the knowledge, skills and understandings so that they can become inclusive practitioners. Pre-service teacher education will play a critical role in…

  4. Expanding Mathematics Preparation of Elementary and Middle School Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buck, Robert E.

    2004-01-01

    One of the major problems facing education today is the inadequate mathematics' preparation of pre-college students and their teachers. Most colleges and universities have well established programs for students planning to teach mathematics at the secondary schools; however, in many institutions pre-secondary mathematics has been addressed only…

  5. How Is My Child Doing?: Preparing Pre-Service Teachers to Engage Parents through Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehlig, Lisa M.; Shumow, Lee

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to help pre-service teachers develop basic knowledge and skill for partnering with families on assessment-related issues. An assessment class for teacher educators (experimental group) participated in role-playing activities designed to expand their understanding and skill in a way that would help them learn how to…

  6. Why Change to Active Learning? Pre-Service and In-Service Science Teachers' Perceptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Grady, Audrey; Simmie, Geraldine Mooney; Kennedy, Therese

    2014-01-01

    This article explores pre-service and in-service science teachers' perceptions on active learning, and examines the effectiveness of active learning by pre-service science teachers in the Irish second level classroom through a two-phase study. In the first phase, data on perceptions were gathered from final year pre-service teachers and in-service…

  7. Emotional Creativity (EC) among Pre-Service and In-Service Trainee Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Gaurav; Kumar, Girijesh

    2010-01-01

    In the personality of a teacher, his emotional creativity is an important counterpart. In current study, researchers have carried out an investigation of emotional creativity of trainee teachers of pre-service and in-service trainee teachers. The objectives were to compare the emotional creativity of Trainee teachers of Pre-service Courses and…

  8. Planning and programming of pre-operational and in-service inspections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Udaondo, M.S.

    1984-01-01

    After a brief mention of the actual scope of in-service inspection work, conclusions are presented that relate to the preparations for inspections, making use of experience acquired since 1972 at 11 nuclear power plants in Spain which have commissioned such studies from one particular organization, and analyses are given of the advantages to be gained therefrom. Three different aspects of preparations for inspections are considered: (a) man-hour estimates and the duration of in-service inspections; (b) the sequence of action during a pre-operational inspection (assuming a typical functional organization) from definition of the codes of practice and standards applicable up to the issue of the final report and the schedule for distribution of the annual work load to be invested in a typical project, as a result of combining the two previous estimates, and (c) the documentary aspect of preparations for an inspection during a scheduled outage, as related to the various documents to be drawn up and their contents. Reference is made to the general training to be given to the staff in charge of inspection activities so as to provide them with information on, and a perspective of, the in-service inspection jobs required. (author)

  9. Analysis of pre-service and in-service views of evolution of Serbian teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stanisavljević Jelena

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available We analysed the potential differences between the conceptions of Serbian pre-service and in-service teachers using controlled parameters such as acceptance of the evolution theory. Our sample includes Primary School teachers as well as Secondary School teachers of Biology and of Language. We show that the ideas of pre-service (PreB and in-service biology teachers (InB are more evolutionary than those of their colleagues. In contrast, most creationist responses came from the groups of pre-service language (PreL and pre-service primary teachers (PreP. The agnostic teachers are more evolutionist than other teachers. The more a teacher believes in God and practices religion, the more creationist he or she is, but a great number of teachers who believe in God are evolutionist or simultaneously evolutionist and creationist. There is a positive correlation between evolutionist answers and the attitude that „Science and religion should be separated“, and „religion and politics should be separated“. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 173038 i br. III 43001

  10. Views of Elementary School Pre-Service Teachers About the Use of Educational Mathematics Games in Mathematics Teaching [Sınıf Öğretmeni Adaylarının İlköğretim Matematik Öğretiminde Eğitsel Bilgisayar Oyunlarının Kullanımına Yönelik Görüşleri

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hasan Topçu

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to reveal the opinions of elementary school pre-service teachers about the usage of educational mathematics games in elementary mathematics teaching. In this study, case study that, one of qualitative research methods, was used. Data were collected by utilizing a semi-structured interview form to these elementary school pre-service teachers and analyzed using by content analysis method. A total of 10 junior pre-service teachers enrolled in undergraduate programs of elementary teaching attended to this research. In conclusion, these pre-service teachers indicated that educational computer games would provide benefits such as making students’ learning more permanent, visualizing concepts, making students love mathematics, learning by entertaining, reinforcing what has been learnt and developing thinking skills. Nevertheless, these elementary school pre-service teachers stated the limitations about educational computer games such as causing addiction and physical damages, being time-consuming, requiring special equipment and software and making class management difficult. Besides, it was revealed that the pre-service teachers demonstrated positive attitudes towards the use of games in courses while that they did not feel themselves competent in terms of application. [Bu çalışmanın amacı sınıf öğretmeni adaylarının ilköğretim matematik öğretiminde eğitsel bilgisayar oyunlarının kullanımına yönelik görüşlerini ortaya koymaktır. Nitel araştırma yöntemi kullanılarak gerçekleştirilen bu çalışmaya üçüncü sınıfta öğrenim görmekte olan 10 sınıf öğretmeni adayı katılmıştır. Araştırma verileri yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılarak elde edilmiş ve bu veriler içerik analizi yöntemi ile incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın sonucunda, öğretmen adaylarının eğitsel bilgisayar oyunlarının öğrencilere matematik dersini sevdirme, öğrencilerin

  11. Sulphur cement pre-composition and process for preparing such sulphur cement pre-composition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    2013-01-01

    The invention provides a process for the preparation of a sulphur cement pre-composition comprising reacting sulphur modifier with polysulphide-containing organosilane to obtain in the presence of sulphur the sulphur cement pre-composition, wherein the organosilane has the general molecular formula:

  12. Mathematical Investigations for Supporting Pre-Service Primary Teachers Repeating a Mathematics Education Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bailey, Judy

    2014-01-01

    Preparing to become an effective primary school mathematics teacher is a challenging and complex task; and is influenced by one's past experiences, personal knowledge of, and beliefs and attitudes towards mathematics. This paper examines the experiences of a small group of pre-service teachers who did not pass their first year mathematics…

  13. Effects of a Science Content Course on Elementary Preservice Teachers' Self-Efficacy of Teaching Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergman, Daniel J.; Morphew, Jason

    2015-01-01

    The preparation of elementary teachers to successfully teach science in their classrooms is a central issue in science education. The teacher preparation program at a large Midwestern university was modified to include a new science content course aimed at this need. A pre-/postassessment research model involved participants (N = 154) completing a…

  14. Lesson Study-Building Communities of Learning Among Pre-Service Science Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamzeh, Fouada

    Lesson Study is a widely used pedagogical approach that has been used for decades in its country of origin, Japan. It is a teacher-led form of professional development that involves the collaborative efforts of teachers in co-planning and observing the teaching of a lesson within a unit for evidence that the teaching practices used help the learning process (Lewis, 2002a). The purpose of this research was to investigate if Lesson Study enables pre-service teachers to improve their own teaching in the area of science inquiry-based approaches. Also explored are the self-efficacy beliefs of one group of science pre-service teachers related to their experiences in Lesson Study. The research investigated four questions: 1) Does Lesson Study influence teacher preparation for inquiry-based instruction? 2) Does Lesson Study improve teacher efficacy? 3) Does Lesson Study impact teachers' aspiration to collaborate with colleagues? 4) What are the attitudes and perceptions of pre-service teachers to the Lesson Study idea in Science? The 12 participants completed two pre- and post-study surveys: STEBI- B, Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (Enochs & Riggs, 1990) and ASTQ, Attitude towards Science Teaching. Data sources included student teaching lesson observations, lesson debriefing notes and focus group interviews. Results from the STEBI-B show that all participants measured an increase in efficacy throughout the study. This study added to the body of research on teaching learning communities, professional development programs and teacher empowerment.

  15. Pre-service teachers’ awareness of child abuse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nihal TUNCA

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to determine the awareness of pre-service teachers from different departments related to the concept of child abuse. This study aims to determine pre-service teachers’ awareness of child abuse as a qualitative study, conducted in line with phenomenological design. In the study, one of the purposeful sampling methods, maximum diversity sampling method, was employed. The participants of the study are 15 pre-service teachers attending the departments of Psychological Counseling and Guidance, Teacher Education for the Intellectually Disabled, Pre-school Teacher Education, Social Studies, Art Teaching, Computer and Instructional Technologies, German Language Teaching, French Language Teaching, and Teacher Education for the Hearing Impaired, all within the Education Faculty of Anatolian University, Turkey. The data of the study was collected through the focus-group interview technique. The data collected from two different focus-group interviews were analyzed by content analysis technique using the NVivo 8 data analysis program. As a result of the analysis of the data, it was concluded that the pre-service teachers explained the concept of child abuse by most strongly emphasizing emotional abuse and least strongly by emphasizing economic abuse. In light of the pre-service teachers’ opinions, it was also concluded that the culture constructed by society through the meanings attached to genders, society’s view of sexuality, child marriage, proverbs and idioms specific to the local society and superstitions lead to incidences of child abuse. The current study revealed that child abuse can be prevented by providing training to raise the awareness of child abuse primarily for families then children, teachers and other concerned people. It was also found that the majority of pre-service teachers do not have enough information about how to act in the face of an incidence of child abuse.

  16. Student involvement in learning: Collaboration in science for PreService elementary teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roychoudhury, Anita; Roth, Wolff-Michael

    1992-03-01

    The present study provided insights regarding the interactions that take place in collaborative science laboratory and regarding the outcome of such interactions. Science laboratory experiences structured by teachers have been criticized for allowing very little, if any, meaningful learning. However, this study showed that even structured laboratory experiments can provide insightful experience for students when conducted in a group setting that demanded interactive participation from all its members. The findings of the present study underscored the synergistic and supportive nature of collaborative groups. Here, students patiently repeated explanations to support the meaning construction on the part of their slower peers and elaborated their own understanding in the process; groups negotiated the meaning of observations and the corresponding theoretical explanations; students developed and practiced a range of social skills necessary in today’s workplace; and off-task behavior was thwarted by the group members motivated to work toward understanding rather than simply generating answers for task completion. The current findings suggest an increased use of collaborative learning environments for the teaching of science to elementary education majors. Some teachers have already made use of such settings in their laboratory teaching. However, collaborative learning should not be limited to the laboratory only, but be extended to more traditionally structured classes. The effects of such a switch in activity structures, increased quality of peer interaction, mastery of subject matter content, and decreased anxiety levels could well lead to better attitudes toward science among preservice elementary school teachers and eventually among their own students.

  17. Pre-Service Teachers: An Analysis of Reading Instruction in High Needs Districts Dual Language Classrooms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Whitacre

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Pre-service teachers need opportunities to apply theory and connect to best practices as they teach in classroom settings be it, whole or small group. For many pre-service teachers often times their experience is limited to simply watching instruction or working with small groups of students (Pryor & Kuhn, 2004. The student teaching experience is a critical component of the teacher preparation program. Through the use of the English Language Learner Classroom Observation Instrument (ELLCOI, and researcher observation the hope is that these will aid in bringing to light the instructional activities used by pre-service teachers during reading instruction with ELLs. This study explores how pre-service bilingual teachers connect theory into practice by examining their instruction in the following categories: Instructional Practices, Interactive Teaching, English-Language Development, and Content Specific to Reading as listed in The English Language Learner Classroom Observation Instrument (ELLCOI developed by Haager, Gersten, Baker, and Graves (2003. To capture these instructional events video tape recordings of eight South Texas pre-service teachers were taken during a reading language arts lesson in order to observe instruction in high need districts’ dual language/bilingual classrooms. Data were compiled to capture the nature and quality of instruction on key essential elements, as well as reading instructional practices specific to the teaching/learning process in the dual language classroom. The findings portray the results of the ELLCOI with bilingual/ESL pre- service teachers and how they make sense of their instructional practices as a means to instruction in one-way dual language public school classrooms.

  18. Scale development for pre-service mathematics teachers ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The purpose of this study is to develop a scale to determine pre-service mathematics teachers' perceptions related to their pedagogical content knowledge. Firstly, a preliminary perception scale of pedagogical content knowledge was constructed and then administered to 112 pre-service mathematics teachers who were ...

  19. Digital Technology and Teacher Preparation: The Instructional Role of Social Media among Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trytten, Bria Klotz

    2017-01-01

    As social media use becomes more prevalent among teachers, it becomes vital to understand how teachers are using social media and what effects it has, if any, on teaching practices in the classroom. This study sought to explore the relationship between pre-service teachers' use of social media and their perceptions of inquiry-based science…

  20. Preparation and procedures of pre-commissioning on DECY-13 cyclotron

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silakhuddin

    2016-01-01

    A preparation and procedures for pre-commissioning of DECY-13 Cyclotron have been discussed and the steps for these have been arranged. Pre-commissioning is a testing stage of individual subsystems when all subsystems have been integrated into a cyclotron system. The discussion was taken from references, the next the readiness of devices was studied and then the preparation and procedures of the pre-commissioning were arranged. The results of the discussion are that for doing the pre-commissioning of the cyclotron DECY-13 still requires the completion of RF-dee subsystem and some components for testing are still to be completed. (author)

  1. CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON PRE-PAY MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES USERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Georgeta-Madalina MEGHISAN

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this research paper is to identify the preferences of the pre-pay mobile telecommunications services young users from Romania. Approach/ methodology: The analysis of the pre-pay mobile telecommunications services was made using statistical functions: descriptive statistics, t test, correlation and factor analysis. Results: According to the analysis made, we could underline the habits of usage from the part of pre-pay mobile telecommunications services consumers. Originality: The paper drew an objective analysis on the pre-pay mobile telecommunications services from the perspective of young consumers.

  2. Jumping through "Loops": A Reflective Study on Preparing Generalist Pre-Service Teachers to Teach Music

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heyworth, John

    2011-01-01

    Generalist classroom teachers are being given more responsibility for music education in their schools. How confident and competent are they to do this? I find myself in a position where I am expected to train pre-service generalist teachers to be able to facilitate music in their future classrooms within one unit of music study over a four year…

  3. Pre-Service Teachers' Opinions on Teaching Thinking Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akinoglu, Orhan; Karsantik, Yasemin

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of the present study is to determine pre-service teachers' opinions on teaching thinking skills. 134 senior pre-service pre-school, English and mathematics teachers studying at a state university in Istanbul participated in the study which is designed based on survey model. A questionnaire which was developed by the researchers was…

  4. Pre-Service Science and Mathematics Teachers' Thoughts about Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aran, Özge Can; Derman, Ipek; Yagci, Esed

    2016-01-01

    This study aims to investigate pre-service teachers' opinions about the technology. In this respect, the opinions of pre-service science and mathematics teachers were taken. The study was carried out at a university, located in the capital of Turkey. The data were collected from 20 pre-service teachers in the department of secondary school science…

  5. Investigation of Pre-Service Teachers' Communication Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kana, Fatih

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to determine the levels of Turkish language pre-service teachers' communication skills. Descriptive survey model was used in this study. 218 pre-service Turkish language teachers, who are studying at Department of Turkish Language Teaching at a university in the west of Turkey, participated in the study. Criterion…

  6. Reflections from the Field: Creating an Elementary Living Learning Makerspace

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shively, Kathryn L.

    2017-01-01

    This article features the creation of a makerspace in the elementary education (ELED) living and learning community (LLC) residence hall. This space was created based on the growing body of literature demonstrating the rise of makerspaces across learning environments as well as the need to expose pre-service teachers (PSTs) to early field…

  7. Latent transition analysis of pre-service teachers' efficacy in mathematics and science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, Elizabeth Kennedy

    This study modeled changes in pre-service teacher efficacy in mathematics and science over the course of the final year of teacher preparation using latent transition analysis (LTA), a longitudinal form of analysis that builds on two modeling traditions (latent class analysis (LCA) and auto-regressive modeling). Data were collected using the STEBI-B, MTEBI-r, and the ABNTMS instruments. The findings suggest that LTA is a viable technique for use in teacher efficacy research. Teacher efficacy is modeled as a construct with two dimensions: personal teaching efficacy (PTE) and outcome expectancy (OE). Findings suggest that the mathematics and science teaching efficacy (PTE) of pre-service teachers is a multi-class phenomena. The analyses revealed a four-class model of PTE at the beginning and end of the final year of teacher training. Results indicate that when pre-service teachers transition between classes, they tend to move from a lower efficacy class into a higher efficacy class. In addition, the findings suggest that time-varying variables (attitudes and beliefs) and time-invariant variables (previous coursework, previous experiences, and teacher perceptions) are statistically significant predictors of efficacy class membership. Further, analyses suggest that the measures used to assess outcome expectancy are not suitable for LCA and LTA procedures.

  8. Truancy Assessment and Service Centers (TASC): Engaging Elementary School Children and Their Families

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhodes, Judith L. F.; Thomas, Johanna M.; Lemieux, Catherine M.; Cain, Daphne S.; Guin, Cecile C.

    2010-01-01

    This article reviews literature describing truancy and its correlates, and it analyzes the current research on truancy prevention programs. Few truancy prevention programs exist in elementary school settings. This article describes Truancy Assessment and Service Centers, a theory-driven program providing case management services to children in 85…

  9. Promoting School Mental Health Competencies: Exploring the Utility of Decision Cases for Pre-Service Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iachini, Aidyn L.; Wolfer, Terry A.

    2015-01-01

    Preparation of the school mental health (SMH) workforce is an important priority. Significant gaps remain, however, in our understanding of which pre-service training strategies may be most effective for promoting essential cross-disciplinary SMH competencies. In response, this paper describes the case method of teaching and provides pilot…

  10. Boundary crossing and brokering between disciplines in pre-service mathematics teacher education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goos, Merrilyn; Bennison, Anne

    2017-12-01

    In many countries, pre-service teacher education programs are structured so that mathematics content is taught in the university's mathematics department and mathematics pedagogy in the education department. Such program structures make it difficult to authentically interweave content with pedagogy in ways that acknowledge the roles of both mathematicians and mathematics educators in preparing future teachers. This article reports on a project that deliberately fostered collaboration between mathematicians and mathematics educators in six Australian universities in order to investigate the potential for learning at the boundaries between the two disciplinary communities. Data sources included two rounds of interviews with mathematicians and mathematics educators and annual reports prepared by each participating university over the three years of the project. The study identified interdisciplinary boundary practices that led to integration of content and pedagogy through new courses co-developed and co-taught by mathematicians and mathematics educators, and new approaches to building communities of pre-service teachers. It also developed an evidence-based classification of conditions that enable or hinder sustained collaboration across disciplinary boundaries, together with an empirical grounding for Akkerman and Bakker's conceptualisation of transformation as a mechanism for learning at the boundary between communities. The study additionally highlighted the ambiguous nature of boundaries and implications for brokers who work there to connect disciplinary paradigms.

  11. Student memories: Insights for science reform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaillie, Jane Hall

    The purpose of this study was to examine the recollections pre-service teachers majoring in elementary education have of their science experiences during their elementary years and to explore the recollections in the context of science education reform efforts. At the beginning of science methods course work, pre-service elementary teachers reflected on their memories of their own elementary education experiences. Themes from 102 reflective essays collected in two settings and time periods were identified and compared. The themes remained consistent over both settings and time frames studied and fall into three general categories: curriculum and instruction, teacher traits, and student traits. The pre-service teachers expressed difficulty in recalling elementary science experiences and attributed their limited memories to what they perceived as a low priority of science content in the elementary curriculum. Teaching strategies played a prominent role in the memories reported. Hands-on and active learning strategies produced positive memories, while lectures, reading textbooks, and completing worksheets resulted in more negative memories. Furthermore, pre-service teacher essays often failed to connect the learning activities with concept development or understanding. Pre-service teachers were split nearly equally between those who liked and those who disliked elementary science. The attributes of elementary teachers received the least attention in the categories and focused primarily on passion for teaching science. Implications for science reform leaders, teacher education preparation programs, and school administrators and curriculum directors are identified.

  12. WebQuest experience: Pre-Service secondary maths and chemistry teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erdoğan Halat

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine the impact of developing WebQuests on the attention, confidence, relevance and satisfaction, or motivation, of pre-service secondary mathematics and chemistry teachers in the instructional technologies and material design course. There were a total of 67 pre-service teachers, 32 pre-service secondary mathematics teachers and 35 pre-service secondary chemistry teachers involved in this study, which took place over seven weeks. The pre-service teachers in both groups designed their WebQuests suitable for the level of high-school students. The researcher used a questionnaire in the collection of the data to find the motivational level of the participants. It was given to the participants by the researcher before and after the instruction during a single class period. The paired-samples t-test, independent samples t-test and ANCOVA were used in the analysis of the quantitative data. The study showed that designing WebQuests had more effect on the attention, confidence and relevance of the pre-service chemistry teachers than of the pre-service mathematics teachers. However, in general, although developing WebQuests had positive effects on the motivational levels of both pre-service secondary maths and chemistry teachers, there were no statistically significant differences found in relation to the motivational levels of both groups.

  13. Inquiry Science Learning and Teaching: a Comparison Between the Conceptions and Attitudes of Pre-service Elementary Teachers in Hong Kong and the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Yeung Chung; Lee, Carole Kwan-Ping; Lam, Irene Chung-Man; Kwok, Ping Wai; So, Winnie Wing-Mui

    2018-01-01

    International studies of science education, such as the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), have revealed considerable national disparities in students' achievements in science education. The results have prompted many nations to compare their science education systems and practices to those of others, to gain insights for improvement. Teacher training and professional development are key educational components that have not attracted as much attention as they deserve in international comparative studies. This study compares the conceptions and attitudes of pre-service elementary teachers (PSETs) in Hong Kong and the United States with respect to inquiry science learning and teaching at the beginning of the semester before the start of the science methods course. PSETs' conceptions and attitudes in the two countries were compared by means of a questionnaire with both Likert-type and open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed through the systematic categorization of PSETs' responses into broad themes and subthemes to reflect patterns in their conceptions of and attitudes toward inquiry science learning and teaching. The results revealed a complex interplay between PSETs' conceptions of and attitudes toward inquiry science learning and teaching. The results shed light on the effects of sociocultural contexts and have important implications for the design of science methods courses.

  14. Pre-Service Physics Teachers' Metacognitive Knowledge about Their Instructional Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yerdelen-Damar, Sevda; Özdemir, Ömer Faruk; Ünal, Cezmi

    2015-01-01

    This study aims to investigate pre-service physics teachers' metacognitive knowledge about their teaching practices. The participants included six pre-service physics teachers. A taxonomy of metacognition for teaching was developed to analyze the level of pre-service physics teachers' metacognitive knowledge about their teaching practices.…

  15. Pre-Service Science Teachers' Opinions about Using the Feedback Process in the Preparation of Teaching Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koray, Özlem

    2016-01-01

    Practical courses are very important in teachers' professional training. It is important that teachers learn professional knowledge and skills by personal experience, and it can increase the quality of their teaching. The accuracy of the practice should be considered for the practical studies of pre-service teachers. When the practices do not…

  16. Pre-Service and In-Service Preschool Teachers' Views Regarding Creativity in Early Childhood Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alkus, Simge; Olgan, Refika

    2014-01-01

    This research investigated the views of pre-service and in-service preschool teachers concerning the developing of children's creativity in early childhood education by determining the similarities and/or differences among their views. The data were gathered from 10 pre-service and 11 in-service teachers through focus group meetings, and then from…

  17. A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study of Pre-Service Physical Educators' Perceptions of Their Professional Preparedness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hampson, Geoffrey Martin

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to capture the essence of the perceptions of 11 pre-service physical educators in the final field placement and clinical practices of their undergraduate degree program at the University of Redbank, the University of Peters, and Ina University where they prepared to become professional…

  18. Getting Started for Preparing Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers in Terms of Sustainable Food Consumption: The Current Situation at a Public University in Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alacam, Nur; Sahin, Elvan

    2017-01-01

    This study investigated the food consumption and nutrition perceptions of pre-service early childhood teachers using a mixed method research design. Data was gathered from 37 pre-service early childhood teachers through survey consisting of items in rating scale and open-ended questions. Descriptive analyses were conducted to report pre-service…

  19. Pre-service teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching basic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study measured pre-service teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) basic school mathematics. MKT multiple-choice test was administered to 100 pre-service teachers from two colleges of education (located at Mampong in the Ashanti Region of Ghana) to assess their mathematical knowledge for ...

  20. Examining Primary Pre-Service Teachers' Perspectives on Teaching Practice Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basturk, Savas

    2016-01-01

    The courses "school experience" and "teaching practice" are undoubtedly among the central courses to be received by pre-service teachers who will be future teachers. Through them, pre-service teachers obtain the realistic information about their profession. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine pre-service teachers'…

  1. Pre-Service and In-Service Physics Teachers' Ideas about Simple Electric Circuits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kucukozer, Huseyin; Demirci, Neset

    2008-01-01

    The aim of the study is to determine pre-service and high school physics teachers' ideas about simple electric circuits. In this study, a test containing eight questions related to simple electric circuits was given to the pre-service physics teachers (32 subjects) that had graduated from Balikesir University, Necatibey Faculty of Education, the…

  2. Examining pre-service science teachers' developing pedagogical design capacity for planning and supporting task-based classroom discussions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Danielle Kristina

    Teachers face many challenges as we move forward into the age of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) (Achieve, Inc., 2013). The NGSS aim to develop a population of scientifically literate and talented students who can participate in the "innovation-driven economy" (p. 1). In order to meet these goals, teachers must provide students with opportunities to engage in science and engineering practices (SEPs) and learn core ideas of these disciplines. This study followed pre-service secondary science teachers as they participated in a secondary science teacher preparation program intended to support the development of their pedagogical design capacity (Brown, 2009) related to planning and supporting whole-class taskbased discussions. Teacher educators in this program designed an intervention that aimed in supporting this development. This study examined a particular dimension of PDC -- specifically, PSTs effective use of resources to plan science lessons in which students engage in a high demand task, participate in SEPs, and discuss their work in a whole-class setting. In order to examine the effectiveness of the intervention, I had to define PDC a priori. I measured PDC by documenting how/whether PSTs engaged in the following instructional planning practices: developing Learning Goals, selecting and/or designing challenging tasks, anticipating student thinking, planning for monitoring student thinking, imagining the discussion storyline, planning questions, and planning marking strategies. Analyses showed a significant difference between baseline lesson plan scores and Instructional Performance scores. These findings suggest these patterns and changes were directly linked to the teacher preparation program. The mean increase in Instructional Performance scores during the course of the teacher preparation year further supports the effect of the teacher preparation coursework. Pre-service teachers with high pedagogical design capacity continually integrated the

  3. Integration of Technology in Elementary Pre-Service Teacher Education: An Examination of Mathematics Methods Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Rebecca; Laski, Elida

    2013-01-01

    Instructors (N = 204) of elementary mathematics methods courses completed a survey assessing the extent to which they stay informed about research related to effective uses of educational technology and the kinds and numbers of educational technologies they include in their courses. Findings indicate that, while they view educational technology…

  4. Pre-Service Teachers' Concept Images on Fractal Dimension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karakus, Fatih

    2016-01-01

    The analysis of pre-service teachers' concept images can provide information about their mental schema of fractal dimension. There is limited research on students' understanding of fractal and fractal dimension. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the pre-service teachers' understandings of fractal dimension based on concept image. The…

  5. Pre-service teachers' content knowledge and pedagogical content ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study investigated pre-service teachers' content and pedagogical knowledge in teaching geometric transformation. Eighty-two pre-service teachers from two Colleges of Education in the Ashanti region of Ghana consisted the sample size. The study was a quantitative study which employed survey as a strategy of ...

  6. Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers' Noticing Skills and Scaffolding Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kilic, Hulya

    2018-01-01

    A 14-week course program was designed to investigate pre-service teachers' noticing skills and scaffolding practices. Six pre-service teachers were matched with a pair of sixth grade students to observe and scaffold students' mathematical understanding while they were working on the given tasks. Data was collected through pre-service teachers' own…

  7. An Investigation of School Violence and Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCaleb, Karen Nykorchuk; Andersen, Amy; Hueston, Harry

    2008-01-01

    All educators need to be aware of issues regarding school violence. Recent years have shown that violence can happen in a variety of school settings. This study conducted a one-group, pretest-posttest, pre-experimental design to explore pre-service teachers' perceptions regarding school violence. First, pre-service educators were asked to complete…

  8. Organ culture storage of pre-prepared corneal donor material for Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhogal, Maninder; Matter, Karl; Balda, Maria S; Allan, Bruce D

    2016-11-01

    To evaluate the effect of media composition and storage method on pre-prepared Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) grafts. 50 corneas were used. Endothelial wound healing and proliferation in different media were assessed using a standard injury model. DMEK grafts were stored using three methods: peeling with free scroll storage; partial peeling with storage on the stroma and fluid bubble separation with storage on the stroma. Endothelial cell (EC) phenotype and the extent of endothelial overgrowth were examined. Global cell viability was assessed for storage methods that maintained a normal cell phenotype. 1 mm wounds healed within 4 days. Enhanced media did not increase EC proliferation but may have increased EC migration into the wounded area. Grafts that had been trephined showed evidence of EC overgrowth, whereas preservation of a physical barrier in the bubble group prevented this. In grafts stored in enhanced media or reapposed to the stroma after trephination, endothelial migration occurred sooner and cells underwent endothelial-mesenchymal transformation. Ongoing cell loss, with new patterns of cell death, was observed after returning grafts to storage. Grafts stored as free scrolls retained more viable ECs than grafts prepared with the fluid bubble method (74.2± 3% vs 60.3±6%, p=0.04 (n=8). Free scroll storage is superior to liquid bubble and partial peeling techniques. Free scrolls only showed overgrowth of ECs after 4 days in organ culture, indicating a viable time window for the clinical use of pre-prepared DMEK donor material using this method. Methods for tissue preparation and storage media developed for whole corneas should not be used in pre-prepared DMEK grafts without prior evaluation. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  9. Pre-Service Secondary Teachers' Attitudes towards Inclusive Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costello, Shane; Boyle, Christopher

    2013-01-01

    The attitudes held by pre-service teachers have been shown to affect their willingness and ability to implement an inclusive approach to education. A sample consisting of 193 pre-service secondary teachers enrolled in secondary education courses at an Australian university were surveyed to determine their attitudes towards inclusive education,…

  10. Turkish Pre-Service Physics Teachers' Preferred Learning Styles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kandil Ingec, Sebnem

    2015-01-01

    This study aims to determine the dominant learning styles of pre-service physics teachers and to examine them in terms of variables such as gender, information and communication technologies skills, academic achievement and type of motivation. Survey model was used. The sample composed of 50 pre-service physics teachers. The data were collected…

  11. Impact of Structured Group Activities on Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs about Classroom Motivation: An Exploratory Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansfield, Caroline F.; Volet, Simone E.

    2014-01-01

    Pre-service teachers' beliefs about classroom motivation, and how these beliefs may be developed during initial teacher preparation, is a relatively new aspect of enquiry in the fields of motivation and teacher education. An empirical study, grounded in a social constructivist perspective, was designed to examine the impact of providing…

  12. Multilingual Pedagogies and Pre-Service Teachers: Implementing "Language as a Resource" Orientations in Teacher Education Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catalano, Theresa; Hamann, Edmund T.

    2016-01-01

    While Ruiz's (1984) influential work on language orientations has substantively influenced how we study and talk about language planning, few teacher education programs today actually embed his framework in the praxis of preparing pre-service and practicing teachers. Hence, the primary purpose of this article is to demonstrate new understandings…

  13. Pre-Service Teachers Designing Virtual World Learning Environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacka, Lisa; Booth, Kate

    2012-01-01

    Integrating Information Technology Communications in the classroom has been an important part of pre-service teacher education for over a decade. The advent of virtual worlds provides the pre-service teacher with an opportunity to study teaching and learning in a highly immersive 3D computer-based environment. Virtual worlds also provide a place…

  14. Reaching the Future Teachers in Your Classroom: New Directions in Pre-Service Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grier, Jennifer A.; Ruberg, L.

    2006-09-01

    We will present results and progress from initiatives seeking to improve the experiences of future teachers in college level science classes. A future teacher (pre-service teacher) is inspired to teach science based on personal experiences with college science classes. The most critical opportunity to make a real difference in science education in schools comes when the teachers themselves are first being educated. Given the difficulties in identifying future teachers and the wide variations in their needs, how can we best help future teachers in training? What critical thinking skills are most important for them to absorb from their exposure to science as undergraduates and graduate students? What teaching and learning experiences can we offer that will help science teachers in training confidently assess the relationship between evidence and explanations and then bring that understanding and experience effectively into their own classroom? Recent initiatives in pre-service education have identified several key strategies for improving teacher preparation at the post-secondary level: - Using a constructivist approach to teach physical science concepts and guided inquiry - Knowing common misconceptions about key scientific concepts that students bring to college-level science classrooms - Applying documented strategies for identifying and addressing student misconceptions; and - Knowing how to select and adapt curriculum materials based on common preconceptions held by students. The challenge of reaching these outcomes is complex and cannot be addressed with simple solutions. Teaching strategies that help prepare future teachers include modeling effective teaching of science, understanding the relationship between student/teacher misconceptions, designing and implementing evaluation and assessment, appropriate use of technology tools, and tapping into the existing community of learners to provide ongoing education opportunities and support as the pre-service

  15. Knowledge and Beliefs about Developmental Dyslexia in Pre-Service and In-Service Spanish-Speaking Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soriano-Ferrer, Manuel; Echegaray-Bengoa, Joyce; Joshi, R. Malathesa

    2016-01-01

    The present study investigated knowledge, misconceptions, and lack of information about dyslexia among pre-service (PST) and in-service (IST) Spanish-speaking teachers in Spain and Peru. Two hundred and forty-six pre-service teachers and 267 in-service teachers completed the Knowledge and Beliefs about Developmental Dyslexia Scale (KBDDS).…

  16. Preparing Pre-Service Teachers to Integrate Technology into K-12 Instruction: Evaluation of a Technology-Infused Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Admiraal, Wilfried; van Vugt, Felix; Kranenburg, Frans; Koster, Bob; Smit, Ben; Weijers, Sanne; Lockhorst, Ditte

    2017-01-01

    The quality of how technology is addressed in teacher education programmes is conditional for how student teachers apply technology in secondary schools after their graduation. Two technology-infused courses of one teacher education programme were evaluated. In line with studies on the development of pre-service teachers' technological,…

  17. Pre-Service Teachers and Climate Change: A Stalemate?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boon, Helen J.

    2016-01-01

    Findings from the second phase of a study of pre-service teachers' attitudes to environmental education and knowledge of climate change are reported in this paper. A sample of 87 pre-service teachers participated in a survey study in the last year of their Bachelor of Education degree to examine developments to their attitudes to environmental…

  18. Pre-Service Teachers Methods of Teaching Science

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dr. Raquel C. Pambid

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The study described the teaching methods used by pre-service teachers in Science. It focused on the strategies, techniques, materials, innovative methods and pattern of teaching science used by the pre-service teachers as described in their lesson plans. The qualitative and quantitative design was used in the study. The books, teacher hand-outs from classroom lectures were the sources of methods, strategies and techniques. The chalkboard and self-made drawings and charts were the materials often used. Conventional methods like lecture, open class discussion and demonstration were commonly employed. The strategies included group discussion, use of motivating questions and stories to arouse the interest of students. The direct eye contact, body expressions, jokes and news/trivia were frequent techniques. Integration of values in the lesson became less as the year level increases. The pattern of teaching drawn followed the formal style: I Objectives, II Subject matter, III Learning Tasks, IV Synthesis of the lesson, V Assessment and VI Enrichment. The conventional method and pattern of teaching by the pre-service teachers of PSU suggest that students in the College of Teacher Education should be trained to be more innovative and open in trying out more advanced teaching methods. Furthermore, PSU science pre-service teachers should use methods which can develop higher order thinking skills among high school students.

  19. Implementing service improvement projects within pre-registration nursing education: a multi-method case study evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baillie, Lesley; Bromley, Barbara; Walker, Moira; Jones, Rebecca; Mhlanga, Fortune

    2014-01-01

    Preparing healthcare students for quality and service improvement is important internationally. A United Kingdom (UK) initiative aims to embed service improvement in pre-registration education. A UK university implemented service improvement teaching for all nursing students. In addition, the degree pathway students conducted service improvement projects as the basis for their dissertations. The study aimed to evaluate the implementation of service improvement projects within a pre-registration nursing curriculum. A multi-method case study was conducted, using student questionnaires, focus groups with students and academic staff, and observation of action learning sets. Questionnaire data were analysed using SPSS v19. Qualitative data were analysed using Ritchie and Spencer's (1994) Framework Approach. Students were very positive about service improvement. The degree students, who conducted service improvement projects in practice, felt more knowledgeable than advanced diploma students. Selecting the project focus was a key issue and students encountered some challenges in practice. Support for student service improvement projects came from action learning sets, placement staff, and academic staff. Service improvement projects had a positive effect on students' learning. An effective partnership between the university and partner healthcare organisations, and support for students in practice, is essential. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. A case study of the abductive reasoning processes of pre-service elementary education students in a role playing setting concerning a mock senate hearing on global climate change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petty, Michael Eugene

    Science education has a rich history of studies into the impact of analogical reasoning upon researcher and student alike. These have focused on how induction and deduction are utilized in determining the appropriateness of the analogy being scrutinized. Research in artificial intelligence has demonstrated that human cognition cannot be modeled with only inductive and deductive forms of logic. Charles S. Peirce proposed abduction as a form of logic central to the process of inquiry and discovery. This involves reasoning from observation to best explanation or hypothesis. Peirce's Theory of Signs provided the theoretical foundation and a model of abduction developed by Shank and Cunningham from Peirce's theory offered the conceptual basis for the study. This study uses discourse analysis to attempt to understand the abductive reasoning processes of two groups of students as they interpret new information concerning the political and scientific perspective of the Greening Earth Society and the Center for Disease Control in an authentic, undergraduate-level classroom setting. The five students were members of a capstone course in science education for pre-service elementary education majors who had an interest in science education. The entire class was comprised of fourteen students partitioned into five groups for the culminating exercise for the course. Analysis was carried out using journal entries, audiotapes of planning sessions, a brief summary of their understanding, and videotapes of the mock Senate hearings. The results demonstrated that different members of the group arrived at their understanding using different pathways suggested by the model. While some proceeded linearly, others skipped some stages and later came back to find supportive evidence to strengthen their beliefs. The model is useful in understanding their abductive processes and may provide insight into how we might consider the process in the design of future curriculum for elementary science

  1. Removing Our Masks: Using the Visual and Performing Arts to Promote Deep Reflection in Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    McHattan, Patty Alvarez; McCray, Erica D.

    2009-01-01

    The role of reflection is central to teacher preparation. As individuals integrate new information within their existing schema, they refine their practice. Through reflection pre-service teachers examine, evaluate, and adjust. Yet, the practice of reflection is rarely explicitly taught. Often teacher educators found their students aligning their…

  2. The Power of One-to-One Coaching: Preparing Pre-Service Teachers for the Early Childhood Literacy Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morphis, Elizabeth A

    2018-01-01

    This article focuses on a shift in the author's approach to teaching a literacy course to a coaching-based model after observing pre-service teachers "struggle" to implement the teaching practices during on-site fieldwork with a kindergarten, first-, or second-grade child partner. The author discusses how she provided more timely…

  3. How Well Prepared Are Pre-Service Teachers to Teach Early Reading? A Systematic Review of the Literature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meeks, Linda; Stephenson, Jennifer; Kemp, Coral; Madelaine, Alison

    2016-01-01

    This review examined studies that had addressed opinions of pre-service teachers (PSTs) concerning their preparedness for teaching early reading skills to all students, the extent of their content knowledge, and their attitudes towards code-based and/or meaning-based approaches to early reading. From the limited amount of research available, it…

  4. Pre-Service Teachers Identify Connections between Teaching-Learning and Literacy Strategies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Kimy; Robinson, Quintin; Braun-Monegan, Jenelle

    2016-01-01

    This study explores the transformation of pre-service teachers in their attainment of effective teaching skills. Pre-service teachers learn about the learning-to-read process and implementations of component skills of teaching reading within the practicum. More importantly, pre-service teachers achieve a meaningful understanding of the…

  5. An Analysis on Usage Preferences of Learning Objects and Learning Object Repositories among Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeni, Sabiha; Ozdener, Nesrin

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of the study is to investigate how pre-service teachers benefit from learning objects repositories while preparing course content. Qualitative and quantitative data collection methods were used in a mixed methods approach. This study was carried out with 74 teachers from the Faculty of Education. In the first phase of the study,…

  6. Do Inquiring Minds Have Positive Attitudes? The Science Education of Preservice Elementary Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riegle-Crumb, Catherine; Morton, Karisma; Moore, Chelsea; Chimonidou, Antonia; Labrake, Cynthia; Kopp, Sacha

    2016-01-01

    Due to their potential impact on students' cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes, the negative attitudes towards science held by many elementary teachers are a critical issue that needs to be addressed. This study focuses on the science education of pre-service elementary teachers with the goal of improving their attitudes before they begin their professional lives as classroom teachers. Specifically, this study builds on a small body of research to examine whether exposure to inquiry-based science content courses that actively involve students in the collaborative process of learning and discovery can promote a positive change in attitudes towards science across several different dimensions. To examine this issue, surveys and administrative data were collected from over 200 students enrolled in the Hands on Science (HoS) program for pre-service teachers at the University of Texas at Austin, as well as more than 200 students in a comparison group enrolled in traditional lecture-style classes. Quantitative analyses reveal that after participating in HoS courses, pre-service teachers significantly increased their scores on scales measuring confidence, enjoyment, anxiety, and perceptions of relevance, while those in the comparison group experienced a decline in favorable attitudes to science. These patterns offer empirical support for the attitudinal benefits of inquiry-based instruction and have implications for the future learning opportunities available to students at all education levels. PMID:27667862

  7. Socioscientific Argumentation of Pre-Service Teachers about Genetically Modified Organisms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herawati, D.; Ardianto, D.

    2017-09-01

    This study aims to investigate socioscientific argumentation of pre-service teachers of science and non-science major regarding Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) issue. We used descriptive study and involved second-year pre-service teachers from two major, 28 pre-service science teachers (PSTs) and 28 pre-service non-science teachers (PNSTs) as participants. Paper and pencil test was administered in order to obtain the data of PSTs’ and PNSTs’ argument about GMOs. All of the data were analyzed by descriptive analysis. We applied Toulmin Argumentation Pattern (TAP) as a basic framework to identify the argumentation component. The result showed that both PSTs and PNSTs were able to propose an argument with a claim, data, and/or warrant.. Most of their argument contain data which provided in the text, without any further reasoning or relevant scientific knowledge. So, the coherency between argumentation component in both PSTs and PNSTs was limited. However, PSTs are more able to propose coherent arguments than PNSTs. These findings indicated that educational background and learning experiences may influence to pre-service teacher argumentation in the context of GMOs. Beside that, teaching and learning process which focused on the socioscientific issues is necessary to develop pre-service teachers’ argumentation

  8. Elementary Environmental Activities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larson, Robert J.

    This guide presents suggestions for field trips, out-of-doors activities, material for centers, and individualized activities in the teaching of elementary school science and particularly environmental education at the elementary level. The guide includes a section on preparation and procedures for conducting field trips, including sample…

  9. Investigation of Pre-Service Teachers Views of Teaching as Profession

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Akarsu

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The teaching profession has been transformed in the last century in terms of its approaches and structures, such as its instructional methods and learning settings. Such transformations affect the motivations that promote choosing it as a career. Recent studies conducted on the reasons for choosing the teaching profession have been carried out with pre- and in-service teachers’ perspectives. The current study explores similar issues within broader views in terms of prospective teachers’ personal views about two essential facets: “Prevailing views that teacher candidates hold about the profession”; “If any correlation exists between reasons for choosing teaching as a career and their disciplines”. Participants were asked to identify their teaching philosophies and reasons for determining this career path in college. The data collection process took place between 2012 and 2014. A total of 253 pre-service teachers enrolled in teacher preparation programs agreed to participate in the study. The results of data analysis indicated that teacher candidates in different disciplines hold similar viewpoints on both research questions. In addition, they stated that they chose the teaching profession because ‘It is a sacred job; the country needs better education; it is an ideal job for females’. Some correlation according to gender emerged for both of the research questions.

  10. Art Education as a Means of Promoting Democracy: Preparing Pre-Service Art Teachers for Social Justice Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alazmi, Fatemah M.

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the use of art as a pedagogical tool with pre-service art teachers in a graduate-level art education class. A curriculum was developed focusing on educational social justice theories and their application in regard to gender inequity and diversity issues. The goal was to lead students to…

  11. Technology Acceptance among Pre-Service Teachers: Does Gender Matter?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teo, Timothy; Fan, Xitao; Du, Jianxia

    2015-01-01

    This study examined possible gender differences in pre-service teachers' perceived acceptance of technology in their professional work under the framework of the technology acceptance model (TAM). Based on a sample of pre-service teachers, a series of progressively more stringent measurement invariance tests (configural, metric, and scalar…

  12. Framing Pre-Service Teachers' Professional Learning Using Web2.0 Tools: Positioning Pre-Service Teachers as Agents of Cultural and Technological Change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kidd, Warren

    2013-01-01

    This article addresses key issues in pre-service teachers' professional learning. The argument explores pre-service teachers' learning and practice, which is both informed by technology and which uses technologically enhanced practices in classrooms as learning and teaching strategies. The article is contextualized by current…

  13. Supporting pre-service science teachers in developing culturally relevant pedagogy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krajeski, Stephen

    This study employed a case study methodology to investigate a near-authentic intervention program designed to support the development of culturally relevant pedagogy and its impact on pre-service science teachers' notions of culturally relevant pedagogy. The unit of analysis for this study was the discourse of pre-service science teachers enrolled in a second semester science methods course, which was the site of the intervention program. Data for this study was collected from videos of classroom observations, audio recordings of personal interviews, and artifacts created by the pre-service science teachers during the class. To determine how effective science teacher certification programs are at supporting the development of culturally relevant pedagogy without an immersion aspect, two research questions were investigated: 1) How do pre-service science teachers view and design pedagogy while participating in an intervention designed to support the development of culturally relevant pedagogy? 2) How do pre-service science teachers view the importance of culturally relevant pedagogy for supporting student learning? How do their practices in the field change these initial views?

  14. tracing changes in pre-service English as a foreign language ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This longitudinal study aimed to trace changes in Turkish pre-service English as a foreign language teachers' self-efficacy ... Keywords:pre-service teachers; school observation; sources of teacher efficacy; student ...... International Journal.

  15. What Factors Support or Inhibit Secondary Mathematics Pre-Service Teachers' Implementation of Problem-Solving Tasks during Professional Experience?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Little, Jake; Anderson, Judy

    2016-01-01

    There is an acknowledged gap between the theory presented in university preparation programmes and the reality of classroom practice that has resulted in many secondary mathematics pre-service teachers failing to implement university-endorsed teaching strategies. Using responses to a questionnaire and interviews, this qualitative study examined…

  16. Pre- and In-Service Preschool Teachers' Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aslan, Durmus; Tas, Isil; Ogul, Irem Gürgah

    2016-01-01

    In this study, pre- and in-service preschool teachers' science teaching efficacy beliefs were investigated. The sample included 100 pre-service (50 first grades and 50 last grades) and 73 in-service preschool teachers. As a data collection tool "Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument" was used. Findings indicated that in-service…

  17. Pre-Service Teachers' Mental Models of Basic Astronomy Concepts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arslan, A. Saglam; Durikan, U.

    2016-01-01

    The aim of the present study is to determine pre-service teachers' mental models related to basic astronomy concepts. The study was conducted using a survey method with 293 pre-service teachers from 4 different departments; physics education, science education, primary teacher education and early childhood education. An achievement test with…

  18. Pre-Service Physics Teachers' Conceptions of Nature of Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buaraphan, Khajornsak

    2011-01-01

    Understanding of NOS (nature of science) appears as a prerequisite of a scientifically literate person. Promoting adequate understanding of NOS in pre-service physics teachers is, therefore, an important task of science educators. Before doing that, science educators must have information concerning their pre-service teachers' conceptions of NOS.…

  19. Pre-Service Teachers Designing and Constructing "Good Digital Games"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Artym, Corbett; Carbonaro, Mike; Boechler, Patricia

    2016-01-01

    There is a growing interest in the application of digital games to enhance learning across many educational levels. This paper investigates pre-service teachers' ability to operationalize the learning principles that are considered part of a good digital game (Gee, 2007) by designing digital games in Scratch. Forty pre-service teachers, enrolled…

  20. Pre-Service Teachers’ Responses to Student Behavior in a Mixed-Reality Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jillian Black

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available This study examined whether student gender and the type of student misbehavior affected the classroom management techniques of pre-service teachers. Participants were pre-service teachers who interacted with avatar students controlled by an actor in a mixed-reality environment. Avatar students’ behaviors were systematically coded along with their gender. Pre-service teachers’ responses were organized into four categories: coercion, retreatism, normative, and remunerative. Pre-service teachers’ use of proximity and tone of voice were also recorded. Data were analyzed using chi-square and ANOVA tests. Significant differences in pre-service teacher responses were found for type of avatar student misbehavior but not avatar student gender. Results and implications for future research are discussed.

  1. Assessing Pre-Service Physics Teachers’ Energy Literacy: An Application of Rasch measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yusup, M.; Setiawan, A.; Rustaman, N. Y.; Kaniawati, I.

    2017-09-01

    This paper aims to present a summary of pre-service physics teachers’ responses on energy literacy assessment. A total of 123 pre-service physics teacher in first through third year of education participated. Data were analyzed using Rasch modeling. Research findings indicate that pre-service physics teachers show their low self-system toward energy conservation. They were also still lack of metacognitive and cognitive competencies. These finding provide information for the future development of curriculum, teaching and learning that can improve pre-service physics teachers’ energy literacy.

  2. Becoming Reflective Practitioners: A Case Study of Three Beginning Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiainen, Outi; Korkeamäki, Riitta-Liisa; Dreher, Mariam Jean

    2018-01-01

    This case study examined three pre-service teachers' reflection processes during their first teaching practicum. During the six-week practicum, the pre-service teachers reflected on their own as well as their peers' teaching in group mentoring meetings several times a week. Unstructured stimulated recall facilitated pre-service teacher-initiated…

  3. In-Service Turkish Elementary and Science Teachers' Attitudes toward Science and Science Teaching: A Sample from Usak Province

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turkmen, Lutfullah

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to reveal Turkish elementary teachers' and science teachers' attitudes toward science and science teaching. The sample of the study, 138 in-service elementary level science teachers from a province of Turkey, was selected by a clustered sampling method. The Science Teaching Attitude Scale-II was employed to measure the…

  4. Pre-Service Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Teaching Science and Their Science Learning at Indonesia Open University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nadi SUPRAPTO

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This study focuses on attitudes toward (teaching science and the learning of science for primary school among pre-service teachers at the Open University of Indonesia. A three-year longitudinal survey was conducted, involving 379 students as pre-service teachers (PSTs from the Open University in Surabaya regional office. Attitudes toward (teaching science’ (ATS instrument was used to portray PSTs’ preparation for becoming primary school teachers. Data analyses were used, including descriptive analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The model fit of the attitudes toward (teaching science can be described from seven dimensions: self-efficacy for teaching science, the relevance of teaching science, gender-stereotypical beliefs, anxiety in teaching science, the difficulty of teaching science, perceived dependency on contextual factors, and enjoyment in teaching science. The results of the research also described science learning at the Open University of Indonesia looks like. Implications for primary teacher education are discussed.

  5. Enhancing Moral and Ethical Judgment through the Use of Case Histories: An Ethics Course for Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mc Danel de García, Mary Anne

    2013-01-01

    This article refers to an action research project involving pre-service teachers. The purpose of this study was to determine if specific learning outcomes could be successfully employed as objectives for an ethics course for preservice teacher preparation. Real life case histories were used by students to identify and reflect upon moral and…

  6. An integrative review and evidence-based conceptual model of the essential components of pre-service education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Peter; Fogarty, Linda; Fullerton, Judith; Bluestone, Julia; Drake, Mary

    2013-08-28

    With decreasing global resources, a pervasive critical shortage of skilled health workers, and a growing disease burden in many countries, the need to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of pre-service education in low-and middle-income countries has never been greater. We performed an integrative review of the literature to analyse factors contributing to quality pre-service education and created a conceptual model that shows the links between essential elements of quality pre-service education and desired outcomes. The literature contains a rich discussion of factors that contribute to quality pre-service education, including the following: (1) targeted recruitment of qualified students from rural and low-resource settings appears to be a particularly effective strategy for retaining students in vulnerable communities after graduation; (2) evidence supports a competency-based curriculum, but there is no clear evidence supporting specific curricular models such as problem-based learning; (3) the health workforce must be well prepared to address national health priorities; (4) the role of the preceptor and preceptors' skills in clinical teaching, identifying student learning needs, assessing student learning, and prioritizing and time management are particularly important; (5) modern, Internet-enabled medical libraries, skills and simulation laboratories, and computer laboratories to support computer-aided instruction are elements of infrastructure meriting strong consideration; and (6) all students must receive sufficient clinical practice opportunities in high-quality clinical learning environments in order to graduate with the competencies required for effective practice. Few studies make a link between PSE and impact on the health system. Nevertheless, it is logical that the production of a trained and competent staff through high-quality pre-service education and continuing professional development activities is the foundation required to achieve the

  7. Knowledge Levels of Pre-Service Science Teachers on Radioactivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zehra Molu

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to determine the knowledge levels of pre-service science teachers about radioactivity. A knowledge test was administered to 56 pre-service science teachers participated in the General Chemistry I course in the fall semester of 2014-15 academic year. Papers derived from the pre-service science teachers were read and evaluated, and the responses were classified as “accurate", "misconception", "wrong" and "empty" categories for open-ended questions and the responses to the multiple-choice questions were classified as "right" and "wrong". The pre-service science teachers’ correct response rates were between 9 % (definition of “nuclear radiation” concept, question 15 and 86 % (radioactivity uses, question 14 in open-ended questions whereas in multiple choice questions the ratio of correct answers ranged from 5 % (concept definition and nuclear reactions, questions 21, 23 and 33 to 98 % (sample of concept, question 20. Students hold misconceptions on the radioactivity, warning picture, nuclear power plant (questions 1, 13, and 16; isotopes (question 4; natural and artificial nucleus reaction (question 6; age of the rocks (question 8; atomic bomb (question 10; hydrogen bomb (question 11 and core irradiation (question 15.

  8. Secondary Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions of an Ideal Classroom Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartelheim, Frederick J.; Conn, Daniel R.

    2014-01-01

    The classroom environment can impact students' motivation and engagement, and can influence students' academic learning. In some cases, pre-service teachers' influence on the classroom environment may not always be conducive for student learning. This exploratory study investigated pre-service teachers' perceptions of an ideal classroom…

  9. Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers' Experiences of Learning to Program in an Object-Oriented Language

    Science.gov (United States)

    Govender, I.; Grayson, D. J.

    2008-01-01

    This paper presents the results of an investigation into the various ways in which pre-service and in-service teachers experience learning to program in an object-oriented language. Both groups of teachers were enrolled in university courses. In most cases, the pre-service teachers were learning to program for the first time, while the in-service…

  10. Pre-Service Teachers’ Metaphorical Perceptions Regarding the Concept of Curriculum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pre-Service Teachers’ Metaphorical Perceptions Regarding the Concept of Curriculum

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to reveal pre-service teachers’ perceptions regarding the concept of ‘curriculum’ through metaphors. Phenomenology, which is one of the qualitative research designs, was used in the study. Data of the study was obtained by asking a total of 123 pre-service teachers, including 84 females and 39 males and studying at various departments in Ataturk Faculty of Education at Marmara University in Turkey in the spring semester of 2013-2014 academic year, to complete the statement “Curriculum is like …….. Because…….”. The collected data was analysed by content analysis technique and interpreted. According to the findings of the study, pre-service teachers produced a total number of 107 valid metaphors regarding the concept of ‘curriculum’, which were then categorized by considering their common features. Eight categories were obtained for the concept of ‘curriculum’. In general, pre-service teachers were found to have positive perceptions regarding the concept of ‘curriculum’

  11. A Bourdieuian Analysis of Teachers' Changing Dispositions towards Social Justice: The Limitations of Practicum Placements in Pre-Service Teacher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mills, Carmen

    2013-01-01

    As populations in contemporary Western societies grow increasingly diverse, preparing predominantly White middle-class pre-service teachers to better understand and work with difference productively has become increasingly critical. Historically, however, teacher education programs have aimed to address diversity with add-on or piecemeal…

  12. Character education in perspective of chemistry pre-service teacher

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merdekawati, Krisna

    2017-12-01

    As one of the pre-service teacher education programs, Chemistry Education Department Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) is committed to providing quality education. It is an education that can produce competent and characteristic chemistry pre-service teacher. The focus of research is to describe the perception of students as a potential teacher of chemistry on character education and achievement of character education. The research instruments include questionnaires and observation sheets. Research data show that students have understood the importance of character education and committed to organizing character education later in schools. Students have understood the ways in which character education can be used. The students stated that Chemistry Education Department has tried to equip students with character education. The observation result shows that students generally have character as a pre-service teacher.

  13. Pre-K Physical Education: Universal Initiatives and Teacher Preparation Recommendations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Susan M.

    2013-01-01

    The "National Physical Activity Plan", as well as professional and government agencies (NASPE, 2008a; US Department of Health and Human Services, 2000) acknowledge pre-kindergarten (pre-K) children should be part of comprehensive school physical activity initiatives anchored in quality physical education programming. These…

  14. The Multidimensionality of Multicultural Service Learning: The Variable Effects of Social Identity, Context and Pedagogy on Pre-Service Teachers' Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Shih-pei; Anagnostopoulos, Dorothea; Omae, Hilda

    2011-01-01

    Multicultural service learning (MSL) seeks to develop pre-service teachers' capacities and commitment to teach diverse student populations. We use multiple regression analyses of survey data collected from 212 pre-service teachers engaged in 22 MSL sites to assess the effects of pre-service teachers' social identities, MSL contexts, and university…

  15. Primary School Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers' Views on Mathematical Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karali, Diren; Durmus, Soner

    2015-01-01

    The current study aimed to identify the views of pre-service teachers, who attended a primary school mathematics teaching department but did not take mathematical modeling courses. The mathematical modeling activity used by the pre-service teachers was developed with regards to the modeling activities utilized by Lesh and Doerr (2003) in their…

  16. Spatial Skill Profile of Mathematics Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Putri, R. O. E.

    2018-01-01

    This study is aimed to investigate the spatial intelligence of mathematics pre-service teachers and find the best instructional strategy that facilitates this aspect. Data were collected from 35 mathematics pre-service teachers. The Purdue Spatial Visualization Test (PSVT) was used to identify the spatial skill of mathematics pre-service teachers. Statistical analysis indicate that more than 50% of the participants possessed spatial skill in intermediate level, whereas the other were in high and low level of spatial skill. The result also shows that there is a positive correlation between spatial skill and mathematics ability, especially in geometrical problem solving. High spatial skill students tend to have better mathematical performance compare to those in two other levels. Furthermore, qualitative analysis reveals that most students have difficulty in manipulating geometrical objects mentally. This problem mostly appears in intermediate and low-level spatial skill students. The observation revealed that 3-D geometrical figures is the best method that can overcome the mentally manipulation problem and develop the spatial visualization. Computer application can also be used to improve students’ spatial skill.

  17. Pre-Service Physics and Chemistry Teachers' Conceptual Integration of Physics and Chemistry Concepts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuysuz, Mustafa; Bektas, Oktay; Geban, Omer; Ozturk, Gokhan; Yalvac, Bugrahan

    2016-01-01

    This study examines the pre-service teachers' opinions about conceptual integration (CI) and their understanding of it. A qualitative phenomenology design was used in the study. Data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews comprising ten guiding questions. Three pre-service physics and three pre-service chemistry teachers…

  18. Research on the Development of Middle School Mathematics Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions Regarding the Use of Technology in Teaching Mathematics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akkaya, Recai

    2016-01-01

    This study aimed to investigate the changes in teacher perceptions regarding the use of technology subsequent to the training about technology integration in mathematics teaching. A training program that included combined technology, pedagogy and content knowledge was prepared and implemented on pre-service teachers with this aim. Exploratory…

  19. Early Childhood Pre-Service Teachers' Views about Visual Arts Education and Aesthetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilir-Seyhan, Gamze; Ocak-Karabay, Sakire

    2018-01-01

    Purpose: Pre-service teachers start their university study with only a limited knowledge of art and aesthetics. Early childhood pre-service teachers should be equipped with visual arts education and aesthetics so they will be able to direct artistic activities. Elective courses about art and aesthetics raise pre-service teachers' awareness of…

  20. The Perceptions of Participation in a Mobile Collaborative Learning among Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Shih-Hsiung

    2016-01-01

    This study uses Facebook as a platform and arranges certain learning tasks to identify the feasibility of mobile collaborative learning for pre-service teachers. The pre-service teachers' sense of community and perceptions of collaborative learning are investigated. A total of 153 pre-service teachers volunteered to participate in an Intern Mobile…

  1. A Comparative Examination of Pre-Service Teacher Self-Efficacy Related to Literacy Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helfrich, Sara R.; Clark, Sarah K.

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated differences in self-efficacy to teach literacy between two groups of pre-service teachers. The authors hypothesized that pre-service teachers enrolled in one program focusing on fewer grade levels (K-3) and requiring more literacy-focused courses would have higher self-efficacy than pre-service teachers enrolled in another…

  2. Factors influencing pre-service physics teachers' skills of writing teaching materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinaga, Parlindungan

    2016-02-01

    Writing teaching materials is one of the generic pedagogical skills. Teachers and pre-service teachers should be trained to have the skills of writing teaching materials. This study examines the factors that influence the skills of writing in the disciplines among pre-service physics teachers. This study in particular aims to contribute to the development of science writing in the disciplines and to the organization of workshops on writing teaching materials for pre-service teachers. The problems of this research are formulated in the question of what are the factors that influence the skills of pre-service physics teachers in writing teaching materials. The research adopted mixed methods with embedded experimental design. The research subjects were 18 students enrolled in the school physics course. The instruments used consisted of conceptual understanding tests, learning strategy questionnaire, tests of the multiple representation skills, and one-on-one semi- structured interview. Results of data analysis show that the ability and skills of writing physics teaching materials of the pre- service physics teachers are determined by the factors of conceptual understanding of the subject matter with a contribution of 20%, the skills of making multiple representations of concepts with a contribution of 9.8% and students' self-regulation and learning strategy with a contribution of 33.5%. There are other factors that have not been investigated in this study; therefore, it is recommended that future research conduct further investigation on other factors that influence pre-service teachers' skills in writing physics teaching materials.

  3. Receipt of special education services following elementary school grade retention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silverstein, Michael; Guppy, Nicole; Young, Robin; Augustyn, Marilyn

    2009-06-01

    To estimate the proportion of children who receive an Individualized Education Program (IEP) following grade retention in elementary school. Longitudinal cohort study. Children retained in kindergarten or first (K/1) grade and third grade, presumably for academic reasons, were followed up through fifth grade. Presence or absence of an IEP. A total of 300 children retained in K/1 and 80 retained in third grade were included in the study. Of the K/1 retainees, 68.9% never received an IEP during the subsequent 4 to 5 years; of the third-grade retainees, 72.3% never received an IEP. Kindergarten/first-grade retainees in the highest quintile for socioeconomic status and those with suburban residence were less likely to receive an IEP than retained children in all other socioeconomic status quintiles (adjusted odds ratio, 0.17; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.62) and in rural communities (0.16; 0.06-0.44). Among K/1 retainees with persistently low academic achievement in math and reading, as assessed by standardized testing, 38.2% and 29.7%, respectively, never received an IEP. Most children retained in K/1 or third grade for academic reasons, including many of those who demonstrated sustained academic difficulties, never received an IEP during elementary school. Further studies are important to elucidate whether retained elementary schoolchildren are being denied their rights to special education services. In the meantime, early-grade retention may provide an opportunity for pediatricians to help families advocate for appropriate special education evaluations for children experiencing school difficulties.

  4. Pre-Service Teachers and Classroom Authority

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pellegrino, Anthony M.

    2010-01-01

    This study examined the classroom practices of five pre-service teachers from three secondary schools in a large southeastern state. Through classroom observations, survey responses, reviews of refection logs, and focus-group interview responses, we centered on the issue of developing classroom authority as a means to effective classroom…

  5. Preparing Elementary Mathematics-Science Teaching Specialists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, L. Diane

    1992-01-01

    Describes a professional development program to train math/science specialists for the upper elementary school grades. Using results from an interest survey, 30 teachers were chosen to participate in a 3-year program to become math/science specialists. Presents the teaching model used and the advantages for teachers and students in having subject…

  6. Pre-Service EFL Teachers’ Attitudes towards ‘Language Acquisition Courses’

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nalan Kızıltan

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available This study discusses the attitudes of pre-service English language teachers towards „Language Acquisition Courses‟ in English Language Teacher Education Programs. The data have been collected through a developed questionnaire of 20 questions given to 324 students in the department of Pre-service English Language Teacher Education at Ondokuz Mayıs University. SPSS has been used for the evaluation of the data. The results indicate that the pre-service teachers of English believe in the importance of language acquisition courses for their career. However, they think that they need some preliminary courses on linguistics before they take “Language Acquisition Courses”. Otherwise, since they may not have any background knowledge in linguistics, they may have some problems in the comprehension competence.

  7. Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions on Tpack Development after Designing Educational Games

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sancar Tokmak, Hatice

    2015-01-01

    This qualitative case study aimed to investigate Early Childhood Education (ECE) pre-service teachers' perception of development in their technological, pedagogical, content knowledge (TPACK) after designing educational computer games for young children. Participants included 21 ECE pre-service teachers enrolled in the course Instructional…

  8. The Validity and Reliability Studies of the Internet Use of Pre-Service English Teachers Survey: A Turkish Context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gülşah Külekçi

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available As the availability of computers and the Internet in schools and classrooms has grown, so has interest in the extent to which these technologies are being used and for what purposes. Recently there has been many studies on teachers’ use of education technology in their classrooms and schools, the availability of this technology in their classrooms and schools, their training and preparation for their use and the barriers to technology use they encounter. Using the Internet effectively and the success of the Internet utilization is very much related to the users’ attitudes toward the Internet. This study aims at investigating the reliability and the validity of the Internet Use of Pre-service English Teachers Survey modified from the Master Thesis of Sudsuang Yutdhana. The survey contains two subscales as Internet Attitude Scale and Self-perception of Computing Skills. The survey was administered to randomly selected third and fourth year 96 preservice English Teachers at Dokuz Eylül University Buca, Faculty of Education, Department of English Language Teaching. The results indicated that Internet Use of Pre-service English Teachers Survey (IUPETS is reliable and valid.

  9. Examining the Practice of Critical Reflection for Developing Pre-Service Teachers' Multicultural Competencies: Findings from a Study Abroad Program in Honduras

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Suniti; Phillion, JoAnn; Malewski, Erik

    2011-01-01

    In response to a critical need in teacher preparation, study abroad programs aimed at developing multicultural competencies in pre-service teachers have proliferated across the United States. Multicultural competencies constitute the ability to challenge misconceptions that lead to discrimination based on cultural difference, reflect on one's…

  10. Primary Pre-Service Teachers' Perspectives on Constructivism and Its Implementation in the Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savas Basturk

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine pre-service teachers' perspectives on constructivism and its implementation in schools. In order to do this, a semi-structured interview was conducted with 12 primary pre-service teachers from the grades 2, 3, and 4. Four pre-service teachers were voluntarily selected from each grade for interview. Each…

  11. An exploration of pre-service teachers’ attributions in English

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yılmaz Cevdet

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available With the developments in cognitive psychology, language learners’ beliefs have received considerable attention in the domain of language teaching and learning. One area that merits investigation as to what the learner brings to this educational process is learner attributions which are commonly defined as ‘perceived causes of success and failure’. This paper investigated pre-service teachers’ perceptions of student attributions and their performance in English. Attributions are categorized as either internal (for instance ability or external (for instance task difficulty. Motivated by these theoretical concerns, the study investigated the attributions of 122 pre-service teachers majoring in English and the connections between attribution and proficiency and gender. The study concludes with a set of far-reaching pedagogical implications and suggestions for learner training and teacher action in the EFL classroom. The results underscore the need for pre-service students to become aware of their own perceptions with regard to students' success and failure in English.

  12. Enhancing pre-service physics teachers' creative thinking skills through HOT lab design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malik, Adam; Setiawan, Agus; Suhandi, Andi; Permanasari, Anna

    2017-08-01

    A research on the implementation of HOT (Higher Order Thinking) Laboratory has been carried out. This research is aimed to compare increasing of creative thinking skills of pre-service physics teachers who receive physics lesson with HOT Lab and with verification lab for the topic of electric circuit. This research used a quasi-experiment methods with control group pretest-posttest design. The subject of the research is 40 Physics Education pre-service physics teachers of UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung. Research samples were selected by class random sampling technique. Data on pre-service physics teachers' creative thinking skills were collected using test of creative thinking skills in the form of essay. The results of the research reveal that average of N-gain of creative thinking skills are for pre-service physics teachers who received lesson with HOT Lab design and for pre-service physics teachers who received lesson with verification lab, respectively. Therefore, we conclude that application of HOT Lab design is more effective to increase creative thinking skills in the lesson of electric circuit.

  13. Open pre-schools at integrated health services - A program theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agneta Abrahamsson

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Family centres in Sweden are integrated services that reach all prospective parents and parents with children up to their sixth year, because of the co-location of the health service with the social service and the open pre-school. The personnel on the multi-professional site work together to meet the needs of the target group. The article explores a program theory focused on the open pre-schools at family centres.Method: A multi-case design is used and the sample consists of open pre-schools at six family centres. The hypothesis is based on previous research and evaluation data. It guides the data collection which is collected and analysed stepwise. Both parents and personnel are interviewed individually and in groups at each centre.Findings: The hypothesis was expanded to a program theory. The compliance of the professionals was the most significant element that explained why the open access service facilitated positive parenting. The professionals act in a compliant manner to meet the needs of the children and parents as well as in creating good conditions for social networking and learning amongst the parents. Conclusion: The compliance of the professionals in this program theory of open pre-schools at family centres can be a standard in integrated and open access services, whereas the organisation form can vary. The best way of increasing the number of integrative services is to support and encourage professionals that prefer to work in a compliant manner.

  14. Open pre-schools at integrated health services - A program theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agneta Abrahamsson

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Family centres in Sweden are integrated services that reach all prospective parents and parents with children up to their sixth year, because of the co-location of the health service with the social service and the open pre-school. The personnel on the multi-professional site work together to meet the needs of the target group. The article explores a program theory focused on the open pre-schools at family centres. Method: A multi-case design is used and the sample consists of open pre-schools at six family centres. The hypothesis is based on previous research and evaluation data. It guides the data collection which is collected and analysed stepwise. Both parents and personnel are interviewed individually and in groups at each centre. Findings: The hypothesis was expanded to a program theory. The compliance of the professionals was the most significant element that explained why the open access service facilitated positive parenting. The professionals act in a compliant manner to meet the needs of the children and parents as well as in creating good conditions for social networking and learning amongst the parents. Conclusion: The compliance of the professionals in this program theory of open pre-schools at family centres can be a standard in integrated and open access services, whereas the organisation form can vary. The best way of increasing the number of integrative services is to support and encourage professionals that prefer to work in a compliant manner.

  15. Special Education Services Received by Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders from Preschool through High School.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Xin; Wagner, Mary; Christiano, Elizabeth R A; Shattuck, Paul; Yu, Jennifer W

    2014-11-01

    Little is known about how special education services received by students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) differ by age, disability severity, and demographic characteristics. Using three national datasets, the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS), the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS), and the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), this study examined the age trends in special education services received by students with ASDs from preschool through high school. Elementary-school students with ASDs had higher odds of receiving adaptive physical education, specialized computer software or hardware, and special transportation, but lower odds of receiving learning strategies/study skills support than their preschool peers. Secondary-school students had lower odds of receiving speech/language or occupational therapy and of having a behavior management program, but higher odds of receiving mental health or social work services than their elementary-school peers. Both disability severity and demographic characteristics were associated with differences in special education service receipt rates.

  16. Pre-operative skin preparation practices: results of the 2007 French national assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borgey, F; Thibon, P; Ertzscheid, M-A; Bernet, C; Gautier, C; Mourens, C; Bettinger, A; Aggoune, M; Galy, E; Lejeune, B; Kadi, Z

    2012-05-01

    Pre-operative skin preparation, aimed at reducing the endogenous microbial flora, is one of the main preventive measures employed to decrease the likelihood of surgical site infection. National recommendations on pre-operative management of infection risks were issued in France in 2004. To assess compliance with the French national guidelines for pre-operative skin preparation in 2007. A prospective audit was undertaken in French hospitals through interviews with patients and staff, and observation of professional practice. Compliance with five major criteria selected from the guidelines was studied: patient information, pre-operative showering, pre-operative hair removal, surgical site disinfection and documentation of these procedures. Data for 41,188 patients from all specialties at 609 facilities were analysed. Patients were issued with information about pre-operative showering in 88.2% of cases [95% confidence interval (CI) 87.9-88.5]. The recommended procedure for pre-operative showering, including hairwashing, with an antiseptic skin wash solution was followed by 70.3% of patients (95% CI 69.9-70.8); this percentage was higher when patients had received appropriate information (P pre-operative surgical hygiene, 82.3% of cases; and pre-operative site disinfection, 71.7% of cases. The essential content of the French guidelines seems to be understood, but reminders need to be issued. Some recommendations may need to be adapted for certain specialties. Copyright © 2012 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Epistemological Predictors of "Self Efficacy on Learning Biology" and "Test Anxiety Related to Evaluation of Learning on Biology" for Pre-Service Elementary Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koksal, Mustafa Serdar

    2011-01-01

    The degree to which pre-service teachers learn biology is related to both motivational factors of self-regulation and factors regarding epistemological beliefs. At the same time, self-regulation and epistemological beliefs are also associated with one another. Based on this relationship, the purpose of this study was to investigate the…

  18. Foundation Content Knowledge: What Do Pre-Service Teachers Need to Know?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linsell, Chris; Anakin, Megan

    2013-01-01

    The mathematics content knowledge of pre-service teachers is a growing area of inquiry. This topic requires further theoretical development due to the limited applicability of current cognitive and practice-oriented frameworks of mathematics content knowledge to beginning pre-service teachers. Foundation content knowledge is an integrated,…

  19. Emotional Intelligence, Cognitive Flexibility and Psychological Symptoms in Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunduz, Bulent

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence, cognitive flexibility and psychological symptoms in pre-service teachers. The study included 414 pre-service teachers at the Faculty of Education, Mersin University, Turkey. Pearson product-moment correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to…

  20. Critical Service-Learning: Promoting Values Orientation and Enterprise Skills in Pre-Service Teacher Programmes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iyer, Radha; Carrington, Suzanne; Mercer, Louise; Selva, Gitta

    2018-01-01

    Experiential learning pathways within education programmes such as Service-learning are a means to enrich the learning of pre-service teachers. As a pathway, Service-learning provides value-oriented learning focused on inclusion, diversity, and difference. This paper adopts critical social theory to examine how, along with these values, critical…

  1. Turkish Pre-Service Science Teachers' Views on Science-Technology-Society Issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yalvac, Bugrahan; Tekkaya, Ceren; Cakiroglu, Jale; Kahyaoglu, Elvan

    2007-01-01

    The international science education community recognises the role of pre-service science teachers' views about the interdependence of Science, Technology, and Society (STS) in achieving scientific literacy for all. To this end, pre-service science teachers' STS views signal the strengths and the weaknesses of science education reform movements.…

  2. Pre-Service Teacher Use of Communication Strategies upon Receiving Immediate Feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coogle, Christan Grygas; Rahn, Naomi L.; Ottley, Jennifer Riggie

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of immediate feedback through bug-in-ear eCoaching on early childhood special education pre-service teachers' use of communication strategies using an activity-based intervention approach. Three early childhood special education pre-service teachers participated in this study. A…

  3. Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions with Regard to Teaching-Learning Processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Özdas, Faysal

    2018-01-01

    Teaching-learning process has a great important medium where pre-service teachers develop experiences and competences. Pre-service teachers are introduced to this process in a professional sense through the school experience course in teacher training. In this process, it is crucial to identify the encountered difficulties and matters. For this…

  4. The Attitudes of Primary School Pre-Service Teachers towards Cursive Handwriting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karadag, Ruhan

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study is to determine the primary school pre-service teachers' attitude toward cursive handwriting and to determine whether a significant difference exists among those pre-service teachers' attitude with respect to gender, class and their universities. In order to collect data "Scale for Attitude towards Cursive…

  5. Salivary Hormones Response to Preparation and Pre-competitive Training of World-class Level Athletes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guilhem, Gaël; Hanon, Christine; Gendreau, Nicolas; Bonneau, Dominique; Guével, Arnaud; Chennaoui, Mounir

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed to compare the response of salivary hormones of track and field athletes induced by preparation and pre-competitive training periods in an attempt to comment on the physiological effects consistent with the responses of each of the proteins measured. Salivary testosterone, cortisol, alpha-amylase, immunoglobulin A (IgA), chromogranin A, blood creatine kinase activity, and profile of mood state were assessed at rest in 24 world-class level athletes during preparation (3 times in 3 months) and pre-competitive (5 times in 5 weeks) training periods. Total mood disturbance and fatigue perception were reduced, while IgA (+61%) and creatine kinase activity (+43%) increased, and chromogranin A decreased (−27%) during pre-competitive compared to preparation period. A significant increase in salivary testosterone (+9 to +15%) and a decrease in testosterone/cortisol ratio were associated with a progressive reduction in training load during pre-competitive period (P athletics training. PMID:26635619

  6. Weight based stereotyping amongst pre-service health and physical educators

    OpenAIRE

    Werkhoven, Thea; Cotton, Wayne; Russell, Kate

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the fat stereotyping attitudes of pre-service health and physical educators towards overweight and obese children and to determine if these attitudes were influenced by gender or degree progression. Pre-service health and physical educators (n=38) completed the Fat Stereotypes Questionnaire and endorsed fat stereotyping attitudes on characteristics and attributes including laziness, attractiveness and friendship. Males and females exhibited differing a...

  7. Optimized pre-thinning procedures of ion-beam thinning for TEM sample preparation by magnetorheological polishing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Hu; Yin, Shaohui; Zhang, Guanhua; Liu, Chunhui; Tang, Qingchun; Guo, Meijian

    2017-10-01

    Ion-beam-thinning is a well-established sample preparation technique for transmission electron microscopy (TEM), but tedious procedures and labor consuming pre-thinning could seriously reduce its efficiency. In this work, we present a simple pre-thinning technique by using magnetorheological (MR) polishing to replace manual lapping and dimpling, and demonstrate the successful preparation of electron-transparent single crystal silicon samples after MR polishing and single-sided ion milling. Dimples pre-thinned to less than 30 microns and with little mechanical surface damage were repeatedly produced under optimized MR polishing conditions. Samples pre-thinned by both MR polishing and traditional technique were ion-beam thinned from the rear side until perforation, and then observed by optical microscopy and TEM. The results show that the specimen pre-thinned by MR technique was free from dimpling related defects, which were still residual in sample pre-thinned by conventional technique. Nice high-resolution TEM images could be acquired after MR polishing and one side ion-thinning. MR polishing promises to be an adaptable and efficient method for pre-thinning in preparation of TEM specimens, especially for brittle ceramics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Preserving Social Justice Identities: Learning from One Pre-Service Literacy Teacher

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ticknor, Anne Swenson

    2014-01-01

    Identities that include social justice stances are important for pre-service teachers to adopt in teacher education so they may meet the needs of "all" future students. However, maintaining a social justice identity can be difficult when pre-service teachers are confronted with an evaluator without a social justice stance. This article…

  9. Consolidating Pre-Service Physics Teachers' Subject Matter Knowledge Using Didactical Reconstructions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mäntylä, T.; Nousiainen, M.

    2014-01-01

    In the Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, there are advanced physics courses designed for the needs of pre-service physics teachers. The starting point is that after introductory and intermediate physics courses, pre-service physics teachers know laws and definitions but the knowledge is quite fragmented and does not form coherent…

  10. Do Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers Reflect Their Beliefs about Constructivism in Their Teaching Practices?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uzuntiryaki, Esen; Boz, Yezdan; Kirbulut, Demet; Bektas, Oktay

    2010-01-01

    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…

  11. Pre-service teachers’ blog reflections: Illuminating their growth and development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rubén Garza

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Blogging, a mode of electronic journaling, has been identified as an effective means to help pre-service teachers to construct meaning about their experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine pre-service teachers’ reflections about their praxis through blogging and to describe the nature of their growth and development. The use of reflective writing through blogging helped to identify three themes that emerged from the data: (1 validation, (2 prescriptive, and (3 self-assessment. Our findings suggest that blogging facilitated a community of learners that provided support and encouragement. Pre-service teachers’ reflections revealed a focus on the mechanistic aspects of teaching without critically examining the nature of what was observed. However, our findings also suggest that structuring reflective thinking through blogging has the potential to foster a nascent understanding about teaching and learning.

  12. Pedagogical Strategies to Increase Pre-service Teachers’ Confidence in Computer Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li-Ling Chen

    2004-07-01

    Full Text Available Pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards computers significantly influence their future adoption of integrating computer technology into their teaching. What are the pedagogical strategies that a teacher education instructor or an instructional designer can incorporate to enhance a pre-service teacher’s comfort level in using computers? In this exploratory report, the researcher synthesizes related literature, provides a comprehensive list of theory-based instructional strategies, and describes a study of the perceptions of 189 pre-service teachers regarding strategies related to increasing their comfort in using computers.

  13. Pre-Service Physics Teachers' Difficulties in Understanding Special Relativity Topics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ünlü Yavas, Pervin; Kizilcik, Hasan Sahin

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study is to identify the reasons why pre-service physics teachers have difficulties related to special relativity topics. In this study conducted with 25 pre-service physics teachers, the case study method, which is a qualitative research method, was used. Interviews were held with the participants about their reasons for…

  14. Pre-Service Teachers' Knowledge, Misconceptions and Gaps about Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanz-Cervera, Pilar; Fernández-Andrés, María-Inmaculada; Pastor-Cerezuela, Gemma; Tárraga-Mínguez, Raúl

    2017-01-01

    The inclusive education framework and the increase in autism diagnoses have led to an overwhelming challenge for pre-service teachers who need to be qualified to teach all children. To test the quality of their training, the main purpose of this study was to compare 866 pre-service teachers' knowledge, misconceptions, and gaps about autism in…

  15. Analyzing Pre-Service Primary Teachers' Fraction Knowledge Structures through Problem Posing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kilic, Cigdem

    2015-01-01

    In this study it was aimed to determine pre-service primary teachers' knowledge structures of fraction through problem posing activities. A total of 90 pre-service primary teachers participated in this study. A problem posing test consisting of two questions was used and the participants were asked to generate as many as problems based on the…

  16. Plurilingual Pre-Service Teachers in a Multicultural Society: Insightful, Invaluable, Invisible

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moloney, Robyn; Giles, Andrew

    2015-01-01

    In view of the increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in school classrooms in many English-majority countries, the profile of the pre-service teachers being trained to teach in those classrooms has become of research interest. It was found in a cohort of Australian pre-service teachers that one third of the cohort was plurilingual. This…

  17. Elementary particles in the service of man

    CERN Multimedia

    1966-01-01

    This article was prepared by the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, and the Rutherford Laboratory in the U.K., for a Physics Exhibition in March of this year and is reproduced here with acknowledgement. It is an account of how some of the knowledge gained in the previous generation of our research has already been applied 'in the service of man'.

  18. Reconceptualizing Elementary Teacher Preparation : A case for informal science education

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Avraamidou, Lucy

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this case study was to explore the ways in which 3 different informal science experiences in the context of an elementary methods course influenced a group of prospective elementary teachers' ideas about science teaching and learning as well as their understandings about the role of

  19. PRE-SERVICE MATHEMATICS TEACHERS’ CONCEPTION OF HIGHER-ORDER THINKING LEVEL IN BLOOM'S TAXONOMY

    OpenAIRE

    Damianus D Samo

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to explore pre-service mathematics teachers' conception of higher-order thinking in Bloom's Taxonomy, to explore pre-service mathematics teachers' ability in categorizing six cognitive levels of Bloom's Taxonomy as lower-order thinking and higher-order thinking, and pre-service mathematics teachers' ability in identifying some questionable items as lower-order and higher-order thinking. The higher-order thinking is the type of non-algorithm thinking which include ...

  20. Profile of Pre-Service Science Teachers Based on STEM Career Interest Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winarno, N.; Widodo, A.; Rusdiana, D.; Rochintaniawati, D.; Afifah, R. M. A.

    2017-09-01

    This study aims to investigate the profile of pre-service science teachers based on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Career Interest Survey. The study uses descriptive survey method as the research design. Samples collected from 66 preservice science teachers in a university located in Bandung, Indonesia. The results of the study are the profile of pre-service science teachers based on STEM Career Interest Survey shows that the average number of career interest in the field of technology is 4.08, in science 3.80, mathematics 3.39 and engineering 3.30. Pre-service science teachers are found to have interests in the STEM career fields. This research is necessary as there are many instances of people choosing majors or studies that are not in accordance with their interests and talents. The recommendation of this study is to develop learning in pre-service science teachers by using STEM approach.

  1. Greek Pre-Service Teachers' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Environmental Behavior toward Marine Pollution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boubonari, Theodora; Markos, Angelos; Kevrekidis, Theodoros

    2013-01-01

    A structured questionnaire was administered to assess Greek pre-service primary teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported behavior toward marine pollution issues. Exploratory factor analysis revealed several factors, all demonstrating adequate internal consistency, and showed that pre-service teachers demonstrated a moderate level of…

  2. Teacher Training and Pre-service Primary Teachers’ Self-Efficacy for Science Teaching

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Velthuis, C.H.; Fisser, Petra; Pieters, Julius Marie

    2014-01-01

    This study focuses on the improvement of pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching science by including science courses within the teacher training program. Knowing how efficacy beliefs change over time and what factors influence the development by pre-service primary teachers of positive

  3. Prospective elementary teachers' conceptions of multidigit number: exemplifying a replication framework for mathematics education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobson, Erik; Simpson, Amber

    2018-04-01

    Replication studies play a critical role in scientific accumulation of knowledge, yet replication studies in mathematics education are rare. In this study, the authors replicated Thanheiser's (Educational Studies in Mathematics 75:241-251, 2010) study of prospective elementary teachers' conceptions of multidigit number and examined the main claim that most elementary pre-service teachers think about digits incorrectly at least some of the time. Results indicated no statistically significant difference in the distribution of conceptions between the original and replication samples and, moreover, no statistically significant differences in the distribution of sub-conceptions among prospective teachers with the most common conception. These results suggest confidence is warranted both in the generality of the main claim and in the utility of the conceptions framework for describing prospective elementary teachers' conceptions of multidigit number. The report further contributes a framework for replication of mathematics education research adapted from the field of psychology.

  4. Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Reflections on Good and Bad Mathematics Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dayal, Hem Chand

    2013-01-01

    Researchers suggest that teachers' beliefs about teaching are strongly influenced by their personal experiences with mathematics. This study aimed to explore Pacific Island pre-service secondary mathematics teachers' perceptions about good and bad mathematics teachers. Thirty pre-service teachers, enrolled in a mathematics teaching methods course…

  5. Reconceptualizing Elementary Teacher Preparation: A Case for Informal Science Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avraamidou, Lucy

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this case study was to explore the ways in which 3 different informal science experiences in the context of an elementary methods course influenced a group of prospective elementary teachers' ideas about science teaching and learning as well as their understandings about the role of informal science environments to teaching and…

  6. Pre-Service Teachers' Motivation, Sense of Teaching Efficacy, and Expectation of Reality Shock

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hyunjin; Cho, YoonJung

    2014-01-01

    The present study investigated how pre-service teachers' motivation and their sense of teaching efficacy influence their expectation about reality shock during the first year of professional teaching. A total of 533 pre-service teachers at a state university in the US Midwest participated in this study. The results showed that the pre-service…

  7. Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions of Technology and Multiliteracy Within the Inclusive Classroom

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie K. Corkett

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available The increased use of technology in today’s schools has created new possibilities for pre-service teachers and their students. Rather than limiting the use of technology based on student ability, it is now possible for pre-service teachers to develop integrated multiliteracy lessons that integrate technology and enhance student learning. Technology in the form of apps for iPads, iPods, and desktop computers enable teachers to achieve this goal; however, pre-service teacher’s perceptions of technology and teacher self-efficacy in relation to technology may influence whether technology is integrated into their lessons. This paper examines 144 primary/junior pre-service teacher’s self-efficacy and perceptions of technology before and after developing an app based m ultiliteracy lesson plan. Findings suggest that new teachers were more comfortable with the idea of integrating technology into their lessons after researching and completing a lesson plan focusing on the use of apps within an inclusive classroom.

  8. Journeys across Difference: Pre-Service Teacher Education ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Understanding and managing diverse classrooms is an important competency for teachers in South Africa today. Critics of the dominant approach to teaching on and with difference in pre-service teacher education argue that it mostly promotes de-contextualised celebrations of diverse cultures without addressing critical ...

  9. Preparing pharmacists to deliver a targeted service in hypertension management: evaluation of an interprofessional training program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bajorek, Beata V; Lemay, Kate S; Magin, Parker J; Roberts, Christopher; Krass, Ines; Armour, Carol L

    2015-09-28

    Non-adherence to medicines by patients and suboptimal prescribing by clinicians underpin poor blood pressure (BP) control in hypertension. In this study, a training program was designed to enable community pharmacists to deliver a service in hypertension management targeting therapeutic adjustments and medication adherence. A comprehensive evaluation of the training program was undertaken. Tailored training comprising a self-directed pre-work manual, practical workshop (using real patients), and practice scenarios, was developed and delivered by an inter-professional team (pharmacists, GPs). Supported by practical and written assessment, the training focused on the principles of BP management, BP measurement skills, and adherence strategies. Pharmacists' experience of the training (expectations, content, format, relevance) was evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively. Immediate feedback was obtained via a questionnaire comprising Likert scales (1 = "very well" to 7 = "poor") and open-ended questions. Further in-depth qualitative evaluation was undertaken via semi-structured interviews several months post-training (and post service implementation). Seventeen pharmacists were recruited, trained and assessed as competent. All were highly satisfied with the training; other than the 'amount of information provided' (median score = 5, "just right"), all aspects of training attained the most positive score of '1'. Pharmacists most valued the integrated team-based approach, GP involvement, and inclusion of real patients, as well as the pre-reading manual, BP measurement workshop, and case studies (simulation). Post-implementation the interviews highlighted that comprehensive training increased pharmacists' confidence in providing the service, however, training of other pharmacy staff and patient recruitment strategies were highlighted as a need in future. Structured, multi-modal training involving simulated and inter-professional learning is effective in preparing

  10. Digital storytelling as a tool for teaching: Perceptions of pre-service teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chantyclaire A. Tiba

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available It has been shown that teachers are reluctant to use technology despite the South African (SA government’s huge expenditure on technological equipment. This might be the result of teachers being unable to select appropriate technology that will yield positive learning outcomes as well as being ill-equipped to integrate technology into their pedagogy. To this end, pre-service teachers at a University were trained on how to integrate digital storytelling (DST effectively into their teaching. The aim of this study is to gain insight into the potential benefits of DST for teaching and learning and to determine factors that may prevent pre-service teachers’ uptake of DST during in-service practice. This is a qualitative study in which fifty pre-service teachers were divided into five groups for focus group interviews. Data were analysed, and the results show that pre- service teachers perceived DST to be beneficial in the classroom as it has the potential to (i motivate and engage learners, (ii promote voice/self-expression, and (iii promote collaborative learning and acquisition of multiple skills. Pre-service teachers are of the opinion that a lack of resources, self-confidence and time owing to restrictive curricula may prevent uptake of DST during in-service teaching. It was recommended that school stakeholders create a balance between intrinsic and extrinsic factors that will promote the adoption and integration of DST into teaching. Also, the education institution concerned strives to balance all three strands of knowledge: technology, pedagogy and content.

  11. Digital storytelling as a tool for teaching: Perceptions of pre-service teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Tiba

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available It has been shown that teachers are reluctant to use technology despite the South African (SA government’s huge expenditure on technological equipment. This might be the result of teachers being unable to select appropriate technology that will yield positive learning outcomes as well as being ill-equipped to integrate technology into their pedagogy. To this end, pre-service teachers at a University were trained on how to integrate digital storytelling (DST effectively into their teaching. The aim of this study is to gain insight into the potential benefits of DST for teaching and learning and to determine factors that may prevent pre-service teachers’ uptake of DST during in-service practice. This is a qualitative study in which fifty pre-service teachers were divided into five groups for focus group interviews. Data were analysed, and the results show that pre- service teachers perceived DST to be beneficial in the classroom as it has the potential to (i motivate and engage learners, (ii promote voice/self-expression, and (iii promote collaborative learning and acquisition of multiple skills. Pre-service teachers are of the opinion that a lack of resources, self-confidence and time owing to restrictive curricula may prevent uptake of DST during in-service teaching. It was recommended that school stakeholders create a balance between intrinsic and extrinsic factors that will promote the adoption and integration of DST into teaching. Also, the education institution concerned strives to balance all three strands of knowledge: technology, pedagogy and content.

  12. Analysis of Maths Learning Activities Developed By Pre-service Teachers in Terms of the Components of Content, Purpose, Application Methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Çağla Toprak

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Today- when the influence of the alteration movement done in order to keep up with the age of the educational system is still continuing- the importance of teachers in students’ learning and achieving what is expected from the education system has been stated by the studies conducted (Hazır & Bıkmaz, 2006. Teachers own a critical role in the stage of both preparing teaching materials and using them (Stein & Smith, 1998b; Swan, 2007. When the existing curriculums –in particular, maths and geometry cirriculums- are analyzed, it can be observed that activities are the most significant teaching materials (Bozkurt, 2012. In fact, it is possible to characterize the existing curriculums as activity-based ones (Report of Workshop Examining Content of Primary School Curriculums According to Branches, 2010; Epö, 2005. Therefore, what sort of learning activities there are, what qualities they need to have, how to design and apply them are topics that must be elaborated (Uğurel et al., 2010.  At this point, our study to increase the skills of pre-service teachers during the process of developing activities was conducted with 27 pre-service teachers -19 girls 8 boys- studying in the 4th year in Mathematics Education Department at a state university in the Aegean Region. The activity designs the pre-service teachers developed considering the patterns given after a series of practice were analyzed in documents in terms of the aim of design and the form of practice. As a result of the studies, it is observed that pre-service teachers deal with the topics from the maths curriculum and these topics are of different grade levels. The result of the examination named as target component suggests that activities developed aim firstly at providing learning and this is followed by reinforcing the concepts already learned. It is stated that pre-service teachers prefer mostly small group (cooperative studies in the activities they develop.Key Words:

  13. Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers' Beliefs about Teaching and Their Pedagogical Content Knowledge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oskay, Ozge Ozyalcin; Erdem, Emine; Yilmaz, Ayhan

    2009-01-01

    In this study the relationship between pre-service chemistry teachers' beliefs about teaching and their pedagogical content knowledge were investigated. The sample of the study consists of 99 pre-service chemistry teachers attending Hacettepe University, Faculty of Education. As data collection tools the adapted form of "Beliefs About…

  14. How Pre-Service Teachers Learn Educational Technology with the Situated Learning Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kucuk, Sevda

    2018-01-01

    This research investigated pre-service teachers' motivation, learning strategies, and engagement in a situated learning based educational technology course. In this study, correlational research design was used. The sample of this study was 65 second year science education pre-service teachers. The data were collected through two questionnaires.…

  15. The role of physical activity in pre-service teachers’ subjective vitality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdullah Bora Özkara

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: In the present study, subjective vitality considered to be one of the contributions provided by participation in physical activity is examined on a sample of pre-service teachers. When teachers who are important part of education system are healthy and fit, it will help to build future generations. Materials: The research was conducted in the city of Trabzon, located in the northeastern region of Turkey. The sample of the study is composed of 328 last grade pre-service teachers (133 women, 195 men, age: 23.14 ± 2.62 studying at Karadeniz Technical University in the academic year of 2015-2016. Data was collected through Childhood and Adolescence Physical Activity Levels Questionnaire, Subjective Vitality Scale, and a personal information form asking for information about gender, doing sports as a certified sportsman/woman and department. Results: The research results yielded a significant difference between subjective vitality levels of those who do sports as a certified sportsman/woman and those who do not, and between pre-service teachers of physical education and those of other departments (p<0,01. There was also a positive and low-level significant relationship between subjective vitality and physical activity experiences of pre-service teachers (r= .23; p<0.01. However, subjective vitality did not differ significantly by gender. Conclusions: The research results seem to support other studies that reveal social and psychological contributions provided by participation in physical activity. Therefore, participation in physical activity seems to have positive effects on the subjective vitality of pre-service teachers.

  16. Pre-Travel Medical Preparation of Business and Occupational Travelers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Nomana M.; Jentes, Emily S.; Brown, Clive; Han, Pauline; Rao, Sowmya R.; Kozarsky, Phyllis; Hagmann, Stefan H.F.; LaRocque, Regina C.; Ryan, Edward T.

    2016-01-01

    Objectives: The aim of the study was to understand more about pre-travel preparations and itineraries of business and occupational travelers. Methods: De-identified data from 18 Global TravEpiNet clinics from January 2009 to December 2012 were analyzed. Results: Of 23,534 travelers, 61% were non-occupational and 39% occupational. Business travelers were more likely to be men, had short times to departure and shorter trip durations, and commonly refused influenza, meningococcal, and hepatitis B vaccines. Most business travelers indicated that employers suggested the pre-travel health consultation, whereas non-occupational travelers sought consultations because of travel health concerns. Conclusions: Sub-groups of occupational travelers have characteristic profiles, with business travelers being particularly distinct. Employers play a role in encouraging business travelers to seek pre-travel consultations. Such consultations, even if scheduled immediately before travel, can identify vaccination gaps and increase coverage. PMID:26479857

  17. Pre-service teachers' content knowledge and pedagogical content ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    kofi.mereku

    African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences Vol. 13, 2017. 63 ... knowledge in teaching geometric transformation ... made more practical and that pre-service teachers should be given ample opportunity to practice.

  18. Service Learning and Its Influenced to Pre-Service Teachers: Social Responsibility and Self-Efficacy Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prasertsang, Parichart; Nuangchalerm, Prasart; Pumipuntu, Chaloey

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of the research was to study pre-service teachers on social responsibility and self-efficacy through service learning. The mixed methodology included two major procedures (i) the actual use of a developed service learning instructional model by means of action research principles and qualitative research and (ii) the study into the…

  19. Identifying Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Teaching EFL and Their Potential Changes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergio Andrés Suárez Flórez

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available This study aims at identifying pre-service teachers’ beliefs about teaching English as a foreign language and tracking their potential changes throughout the teaching practicum. Participants were two pre-service teachers in their fifth year of their Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Languages program in a public university in Colombia. Data were gathered through a modified version of Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory before the practicum, eight weekly journal entries administered during ten weeks, and two semi-structured interviews at the end of the teaching practicum. The findings revealed that most of the pre-service teachers’ beliefs changed once they faced the reality of the classroom.

  20. Deconstructing "Good Practice" Teaching Videos: An Analysis of Pre-Service Teachers' Reflections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ineson, Gwen; Voutsina, Chronoula; Fielding, Helen; Barber, Patti; Rowland, Tim

    2015-01-01

    Video clips of mathematics lessons are used extensively in pre-service teacher education and continuing professional development activities. Given course time constraints, an opportunity to critique these videos is not always possible. Because of this, and because pre-service teachers make extensive use of material found during internet searches,…

  1. Pre-Service English Teachers' Beliefs on Speaking Skill Based on Motivational Orientations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dinçer, Ali; Yesilyurt, Savas

    2013-01-01

    This study aimed to explore pre-service English teachers' perceptions of teaching speaking in Turkey, the importance they give to this language skill, and their self-evaluation of their speaking competence. With case design and maximum variation sampling approach, seven pre-service English teachers' beliefs about speaking skills were gathered in…

  2. Elective Drama Course in Mathematics Education: An Assessment of Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sagirli, Meryem Özturan

    2014-01-01

    This study aimed to evaluate a newly introduced elective course "Drama in Mathematics Education" into mathematics education curriculum from the viewpoints of pre-service mathematics teachers. A case study was employed in the study. The study group consisted of 37 pre-service mathematics teachers who were enrolled in a Turkish state…

  3. How In-Service Science Teachers Integrate History and Nature of Science in Elementary Science Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hacieminoglu, Esme

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate how the in-service science teachers' (IST) perceptions and practices about curriculum and integration of the history of science (HOS) and the nature of science (NOS) affect their science courses. For this aim, how ISTs integrated the NOS and HOS in their elementary science courses for understanding of…

  4. In-Service and Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers' Views and Intentions about ICT Use in Early Childhood Settings: A Comparative Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gialamas, Vasilis; Nikolopoulou, Kleopatra

    2010-01-01

    This paper regards a comparative study which investigates in-service and pre-service Greek early childhood teachers' views and intentions about integrating and using computers in early childhood settings. Views and intentions were investigated via a questionnaire administered to 240 in-service and 428 pre-service early childhood teachers.…

  5. Pre-Service and In-Service Secondary School Teachers' Knowledge about Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attitudes toward Students with ADHD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Limeng; Gao, Xuesong

    2016-01-01

    This article reports on a mixed-method inquiry into pre-service and in-service secondary school teachers' knowledge about Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and attitudes toward students with this disorder in Hong Kong. The inquiry revealed no differences between pre-service and in-service secondary school teachers concerning their…

  6. Pre-Service Secondary Science and Mathematics Teachers' Classroom Management Styles in Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yilmaz, Kursad

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this study is to determine Pre-service secondary science and mathematics teachers' classroom management styles in Turkey. In addition, differences in pre-service secondary science and mathematics teachers' classroom management styles by gender, and field of study were examined. In the study, the survey model was employed. The research…

  7. Maximizing the Potential of Mentoring: A Framework for Pre-Service Teacher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ambrosetti, Angelina; Knight, Bruce Allen; Dekkers, John

    2014-01-01

    Within the professional placement component of pre-service teacher education, mentoring has become a strategy that is used during the practical application of learning to teach. In this paper, we examine mentoring in the pre-service teacher education context by proposing a theoretically based framework for mentoring in this context. Firstly, the…

  8. Determining the Philosophical Orientation of Pre-Service Teachers: A Causal-Comparative Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edlin, Maria L.

    2013-01-01

    This study was conducted to determine if pre-service teachers could self-identify their philosophy of education and then match that philosophy through their responses to a 48-item survey. Additionally the study was conducted to determine if the pre-service teachers from Middle Tennessee State University would have a more varied philosophical…

  9. Teacher Training and Pre-Service Primary Teachers' Self-Efficacy for Science Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velthuis, Chantal; Fisser, Petra; Pieters, Jules

    2014-01-01

    This study focuses on the improvement of pre-service teachers' self-efficacy for teaching science by including science courses within the teacher training program. Knowing how efficacy beliefs change over time and what factors influence the development by pre-service primary teachers of positive science teaching efficacy beliefs may be useful for…

  10. Argumentation Practices in Classroom: Pre-Service Teachers' Conceptual Understanding of Chemical Equilibrium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaya, Ebru

    2013-01-01

    This study examines the impact of argumentation practices on pre-service teachers' understanding of chemical equilibrium. The sample consisted of 100 pre-service teachers in two classes of a public university. One of these classes was assigned as experimental and the other as control group, randomly. In the experimental group, the subject of…

  11. Communication, Community, and Disconnection: Pre-Service Teachers in Virtual School Field Experiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkens, Christian; Eckdahl, Kelli; Morone, Mike; Cook, Vicki; Giblin, Thomas; Coon, Joshua

    2014-01-01

    This study examined the experiences of 11 graduate-level pre-service teachers completing Virtual School Field Experiences (VSFEs) with cooperating teachers in fully online, asynchronous high school courses in New York State. The VSFEs included a 7-week online teacher training course, and a 7-week online field experience. Pre-service teachers…

  12. Investigation of Pre-Service Science Teachers' Attitudes towards Sustainable Environmental Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keles, Özgül

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the current study is to investigate pre-service science teachers' sustainable environmental education attitudes and the factors affecting them in terms of some variables (gender and grade level). The study group of the current research is comprised of 154 pre-service teachers attending the Department of Science Education in the…

  13. Future Elementary School Teachers' Conceptual Change Concerning Photosynthesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahopelto, Ilona; Mikkila-Erdmann, Mirjamaija; Anto, Erkki; Penttinen, Marjaana

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine conceptual change among future elementary school teachers while studying a scientific text concerning photosynthesis. Students' learning goals in relation to their learning outcomes were also examined. The participants were future elementary school teachers. The design consisted of pre- and post-tests. The…

  14. Optimizing pre-service inspection data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mullins, L.E.; Harrison, J.M.

    1986-01-01

    The phenomenon of intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) in nuclear power plant piping systems has been the single biggest factor in an evolution that has changed and continues to change in-service inspection practices and philosophy throughout the industry. In-service inspection has been found to deal with several distinct phases of the problem. At the onset, existing technology was demonstrated to be unable to detect IGSCC adequately. This inability to detect IGSCC was soon overcome. However, it immediately pointed out the difficulties associated with the discrimination between IGSCC and other harmless metallurgical conditions. On the heels of detection and discrimination came problems associated with determining crack size and the monitoring of overlayed flaws. A wealth of information has been written on all phases of IGSCC; however, one particular aspect has as of yet seen little attention. With an increasing number of plants choosing to replace flawed pipe, the pre-service inspection of the replaced piping demands increased attention. The lessons learned through inspection for IGSCC need again to be applied to the replacement piping. Through increased attention at installation, many of the difficulties associated with proper inservice inspection may be reduced or eliminated, thereby realizing an economy in outage scheduling, personnel exposure, and, overall, a more reliable in-service examination

  15. Pre-Service Science Teachers' PCK: Inconsistency of Pre-Service Teachers' Predictions and Student Learning Difficulties in Newton's Third Law

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Shaona; Wang, Yanlin; Zhang, Chunbin

    2016-01-01

    There is widespread agreement that science learning always builds upon students' existing ideas and that science teachers should possess knowledge of learners. This study aims at investigating pre-service science teachers' knowledge of student misconceptions and difficulties, a crucial component of PCK, on Newton's Third Law. A questionnaire was…

  16. The Development and Validation of a Three-Tier Diagnostic Test Measuring Pre-Service Elementary Education and Secondary Science Teachers' Understanding of the Water Cycle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaffer, Dannah Lynn

    2013-01-01

    The main goal of this research study was to develop and validate a three-tier diagnostic test to determine pre-service teachers' (PSTs) conceptual knowledge of the water cycle. For a three-tier diagnostic test, the first tier assesses content knowledge; in the second tier, a reason is selected for the content answer; and the third tier allows…

  17. Microteaching Writing on YouTube for Pre-Service Teacher Training: Lessons Learned

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Yu-Chih

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of the study is to investigate how pre-service teachers adopt YouTube technology into their microteaching as part of their assignments. The participants were twelve Taiwanese pre-service teachers in a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages graduate program. They enrolled in a Second Language Writing course and worked in groups…

  18. Pre-service secondary school science teachers science teaching ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PROF.MIREKU

    pre-service secondary science teachers' self-efficacy beliefs with regard to gender and educational .... outcome. As a consequence, instruments for the determination of self-efficacy ...... Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 42, 119–31. Bursal, M.

  19. One Usage of Geogebra in Enhancing Pre-service Mathematics Teachers’ Content Knowledge

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karmelita Pjanic

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available A wide range of mathematical ideas could be used to develop and justify a formula for calculating the area of trapezoid. Those ideas lead to different strategies for finding out area of trapezoid that we classify in three groups: decomposing, enclosing and transforming strategies. Those strategies should be part of mathematics content knowledge for teaching. In this study we trace a change in structure of mathematics content knowledge of nine pre-service mathematics teachers as a result of using GeoGebra applets that visualize different approaches in finding out the area of trapezoid. We argue that engaging pre-service mathematics teachers to develop and justify formula for calculating the area of trapezoid using GeoGebra applets is a worth task that enhances pre-service mathematics teachers’ content knowledge for teaching. Our experiment confirmed that the use of Geogebra encourage pre-service mathematics teachers to uncover new ideas that lead them towards clearer justifications and easier way of proving formula for area of trapezoid. Keywords: Area of trapezoid, GeoGebra, content knowledge for teaching

  20. The Receipt of Special Education Services Following Elementary School Grade Retention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silverstein, Michael; Guppy, Nicole; Young, Robin; Augustyn, Marilyn

    2009-01-01

    Objective To estimate the proportion of children who receive an Individualized Education Program (IEP) following grade retention in elementary school. Design/setting Descriptive analysis of a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort. Participants Children retained in K/1 and 3rd grade for presumed academic reasons, followed through fifth grade. Outcome measure Presence or absence of an IEP. Results 300 children retained for presumed academic reasons in K/1, and 80 in 3rd grade were included in the study. Of the K/1 retainees, 68% never received an IEP over the subsequent four to five years; of the 3rd grade retainees, 73% never received an IEP. K/1 retainees in the highest SES quintile and suburban K/1 retainees were less likely to receive an IEP than retained children in all other SES quintiles (aOR 0.17; 95% CI 0.05-0.62) and in rural communities (aOR 0.16; 95% CI 0.06-0.44), respectively. Among K/1 retainees with persistent low academic achievement in reading and math (as assessed by standardized testing), 37% and 28%, respectively, never received an IEP. Conclusions The majority of children retained in K/1 or 3rd grade for academic reasons, including a many of those who demonstrate sustained academic difficulties, never receive an IEP during elementary school. Further studies are important to elucidate whether retained elementary school children are being denied their rights to special education services. In the meantime, early grade retention may provide an opportunity for pediatricians to help families advocate for appropriate special education evaluations for children experiencing school difficulties. PMID:19487611

  1. Student pharmacists provide tobacco use prevention education to elementary school children: A pilot experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ostroff, Jared L; Wolff, Marissa L; Andros, Christina; Nemec, Eric C

    2017-09-01

    The purpose of this article is to describe a service learning experience involving tobacco prevention education and to measure the education's effect on the learners' knowledge of tobacco products. Student pharmacists planned and presented a 40-min tobacco prevention education program using the Tar Wars curriculum to fourth and fifth grade students at three suburban elementary schools in Western Massachusetts. Mean scores on a five-question assessment given to school age children before and after the presentation were compared. A total of 206 elementary school students in ten classrooms participated. The average survey score increased from 1.87 on the pre-survey to 3.72 out of a maximum of five on the post-survey (Peducation to three suburban elementary schools. The children demonstrated an increase in short-term knowledge regarding tobacco use. Tobacco prevention is a unique co-curricular opportunity for student pharmacists to get involved in their community. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Conceptualisations of infinity by primary pre-service teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Date-Huxtable, Elizabeth; Cavanagh, Michael; Coady, Carmel; Easey, Michael

    2018-05-01

    As part of the Opening Real Science: Authentic Mathematics and Science Education for Australia project, an online mathematics learning module embedding conceptual thinking about infinity in science-based contexts, was designed and trialled with a cohort of 22 pre-service teachers during 1 week of intensive study. This research addressed the question: "How do pre-service teachers conceptualise infinity mathematically?" Participants argued the existence of infinity in a summative reflective task, using mathematical and empirical arguments that were coded according to five themes: definition, examples, application, philosophy and teaching; and 17 codes. Participants' reflections were differentiated as to whether infinity was referred to as an abstract (A) or a real (R) concept or whether both (B) codes were used. Principal component analysis of the reflections, using frequency of codings, revealed that A and R codes occurred at different frequencies in three groups of reflections. Distinct methods of argument were associated with each group of reflections: mathematical numerical examples and empirical measurement comparisons characterised arguments for infinity as an abstract concept, geometric and empirical dynamic examples and belief statements characterised arguments for infinity as a real concept and empirical measurement and mathematical examples and belief statements characterised arguments for infinity as both an abstract and a real concept. An implication of the results is that connections between mathematical and empirical applications of infinity may assist pre-service teachers to contrast finite with infinite models of the world.

  3. Exploring Pre-Service Teachers' Knowledge of and Ability to Use Text Messaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geng, Gretchen; Disney, Leigh

    2014-01-01

    This study aimed to assess the pre-service teachers' knowledge of and ability to use text messaging, and assist their use of this technology in the classroom teaching context. Data were gathered by means of a questionnaire and text message exercises. Fifty-three pre-service teachers participated in the study. It was found that although different…

  4. An Evaluation of the Empathy Levels of Pre-Service Social Studies Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaya, Baris

    2016-01-01

    This study was conducted to determine the factors that affect the empathy levels of pre-service teachers studying in the Department of Social Studies Teaching. The research questions developed in this context aimed to determine the roles of gender, age and being a member of a school club in the empathy levels of pre-service teachers. The study…

  5. Pre-Service Physics Teachers' Views on Designing and Developing Physics Digital Stories

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kocakaya, Serhat; Kotluk, Nihat; Karakoyun, Ferit

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study is to determine the pre-service physics teachers' views on the effect of designing and developing physics digital stories (DST) on improving their 21st century skills. The study is a qualitative research carried out with 13 pre-service physics teachers, who participated in the course of designing and developing DST, during 6…

  6. Empowering Pre-Service Teachers to Produce Ubiquitous Flipped Classes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soraya García-Sánchez

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This work focuses on technological and educational outcomes that resulted from the production of foreign language educational videos by 90 pre-service instructors enrolled in an official Master’s Degree in Secondary Education programme. This teaching practice, conducted during two consecutive years, was set in a ubiquitous learning environment with the intention of effectively linking digital technology with pedagogy by means of producing flipped classroom units. The findings reveal that these pre-service teachers successfully combined instructional dynamics with digital skills to produce flipped classes adapted to the young generation’s needs. The classroom becomes, therefore, a more participatory learner-centred scenario with a variety of interactive and collaborative activities performed by foreign language students.

  7. How well does pre-service education prepare midwives for practice: competence assessment of midwifery students at the point of graduation in Ethiopia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yigzaw, T; Ayalew, F; Kim, Y.M.; Gelagay, M; Dejene, D; Gibson, H; Teshome, A; Broerse, J.E.W.; Stekelenburg, J.

    2015-01-01

    Background: Midwifery support and care led by midwives is the most appropriate strategy to improve maternal and newborn health. The Government of Ethiopia has recently improved the availability of midwives by scaling up pre-service education. However, the extent to which graduating students acquire

  8. How well does pre-service education prepare midwives for practice : competence assessment of midwifery students at the point of graduation in Ethiopia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yigzaw, Tegbar; Ayalew, Firew; Kim, Young-Mi; Gelagay, Mintwab; Dejene, Daniel; Gibson, Hannah; Teshome, Aster; Broerse, Jacqueline; Stekelenburg, Jelle

    2015-01-01

    Background: Midwifery support and care led by midwives is the most appropriate strategy to improve maternal and newborn health. The Government of Ethiopia has recently improved the availability of midwives by scaling up pre-service education. However, the extent to which graduating students acquire

  9. Critical Thinking Dispositions of Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakir, Selda

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the critical thinking dispositions of pre-service teachers in terms of various variables. The study included 1106 participants and used the survey model and the Turkish version (CCTDI-T) of the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI). The reliability of the scale for this study was found to be 0.82. The…

  10. The Pre-Service Teachers' Value Orientations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akin, Mehmet Ali

    2018-01-01

    It is important to note that social scientists have recently concentrated on the issue of values. People's thoughts, decisions, behaviors etc. values that have an important place in the explanations constitute the subject of this research. The main purpose of the research is to analyze whether the value orientations of the pre-service teacher'…

  11. Environmental Education in Pre-Service Teacher Training: A Literature Review of Existing Evidence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Álvarez-García, Olaya; Sureda-Negre, Jaume; Comas-Forgas, Rubén

    2015-01-01

    The importance of pre-service teacher training regarding environmental education (EE) has been vastly demonstrated. This systematic review examined the existing evidence from studies evaluating and analysing the relationship between EE, including environmental competences and pre-service primary school teacher training. The literature review…

  12. Preparing Teachers as Allies in Indigenous Education: Benefits of an American Indian Content and Pedagogy Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    McInnes, Brian D.

    2017-01-01

    The study explores relationship building and improvements in knowledge, skills, and dispositions of pre-service teachers enrolled in an Indigenous education content and pedagogy methods course. The Teaching American Indian Students in the Elementary Classroom course stands alone from other diversity education offerings at the University of…

  13. Measuring Pre-Service Teachers' Asia Literacy and Their Preparedness to Teach Asia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grainger, Peter; Christie, Michael

    2016-01-01

    Asia literacy is a growing concern of the Federal Government in relation to the development of an Asia literate workforce. Despite 30 years of funded initiatives, the thought of teaching about Asia is a daunting one for pre-service teachers. This is due to the lack of Asia foci in university pre-service courses and complicated by the definition of…

  14. Impact of Predisposing Factors on Academic Stress among Pre-Service Teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pershaanbala Balakrishnan

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Many studies have been done on stress among educators. Teachers, lecturers, and tutors all over the world has been brought into attention when it comes to stress related issues. Our purpose was to investigate the level of academic stress among pre-service teachers in a teaching education institution in Perak, Malaysia. Methods: In this study a cross-sectional comparative survey study was conducted on pre-service teachers from a teacher education institution. The variables that was tested and correlated throughout the study are age, gender, and marital status, and medical history, influence of medications, exercise and social lifestyle. Data was collected through questionnaires to find out the outcome. Descriptive data analysis was used to describe the socio-demographic data. Correlation analysis was used to determine the significant relation between the variables. P<0.05 was considered as significant of the study. Results: Majority of the students, 78.4% represent the severe category of distress according to the Kessler scale. The remaining 13.6% were recorded as being under mild and 7.6% (n=19 under moderate category of distress. Regrettably, less than 1% (n=1 of the pre-service teachers were from the well category. Exercise was found to be significantly associated with the prevalence of severe psychological distress. Simple logistic regressions showed that pre-service teachers who exercised had a significant 91% reduced risk for psychological distress (OR=0.09; 95% CI=0.02, 0.35 compared to those who doesn’t exercise. Conclusion: At the end of this study, a better understanding on the predisposing factors of academic stress among pre-service teachers was determined and therefore interventions on coping with stress can be made simple. Various physiotherapy interventions on preventive and corrective measures were suggested with reference to the results.

  15. A developed wedge fixtures assisted high precision TEM samples pre-thinning method: Towards the batch lamella preparation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dandan Wang

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Ion milling, wedge cutting or polishing, and focused ion beam (FIB milling are widely-used techniques for the transmission electron microscope (TEM sample preparation. Especially, the FIB milling provides a site-specific analysis, deposition, and ablation of materials in the micrometer and nanometer scale. However, the cost of FIB tools has been always a significant concern. Since it is inevitable to use the FIB technique, the improvement of efficiency is a key point. Traditional TEM sample preparation with FIB was routinely implemented on a single sample each time. Aiming at cost efficiency, a new pre-thinning technique for batch sample preparation was developed in this paper. The present proposal combines the sample preparation techniques with multi-samples thinning, cross-section scanning electron microscopy (SEM, wedge cutting, FIB and other sample pre-thinning techniques. The new pre-thinning technique is to prepare an edge TEM sample on a grinding and polishing fixture with a slant surface. The thickness of the wedges sample can be measured to 1∼2 μm under optical microscope. Therefore, this fixture is superior to the traditional optical method of estimating the membrane thickness. Moreover, by utilizing a multi-sample holding fixture, more samples can be pre-thinned simultaneously, which significantly improved the productivity of TEM sample preparation.

  16. Success and Near Misses: Pre-Service Teachers' Use, Confidence and Success in Various Classroom Management Strategies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reupert, Andrea; Woodcock, Stuart

    2010-01-01

    While the importance of effective classroom management is repeatedly made, there is little comprehensive research identifying the management strategies pre-service teachers employ, nor how successful or confident they find various strategies. Accordingly, 336 Canadian pre-service teachers were surveyed. It was found that pre-service teachers…

  17. Traditional vs. Innovative Uses of Computers among Mathematics Pre-Service Teachers in Serbia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teo, Timothy; Milutinovic, Verica; Zhou, Mingming; Bankovic, Dragic

    2017-01-01

    This study examined pre-service teachers' intentions to use computers in traditional and innovative teaching practices in primary mathematics classrooms. It extended the technology acceptance model (TAM) by adding as external variables pre-service teachers' experience with computers and their technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK).…

  18. Supporting Students' Preparation for the Viva: Their Pre-Conceptions and Implications for Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wellington, Jerry

    2010-01-01

    There has been relatively little research on the pre-conceptions of doctoral students about the final examination, the viva voce and hence there is a shortage of evidence to underpin activities designed to prepare them for this experience. The present paper, which is based upon data from a wide range of focus groups of pre-viva students, seeks to…

  19. Continuing the promise: Recruiting and preparing Hmong-American educators for Central Wisconsin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leslie McClain-Ruelle

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available The state of Wisconsin, and in the broader context, the middle states of the United States experienced a large influx of Hmong families starting in the early 1980’s and into the 1990’s. With this influx a large number of young, Southeast Asian children entered the PK-12 classrooms, often with the support of bilingual aides. While many of the children flourished within this newer context, they were mostly guided in their classrooms by white, Anglo educators. Although theseeducators work to meet the needs of all children, there were few to no Hmong educators working with these same children in the PK-12 setting. At the same time, a number of Hmong young adults were serving as bilingual aides in these classrooms. Project Forward, a federally funded Title VII grant, has worked to create a shift in these roles, preparing Hmong college students to become educators in the PK-12 settings. In 1999, Central Wisconsin enrolled approximately3,200 Hmong children in the PK-12 schools; at the same time, Central Wisconsin employed merely seven Hmong teachers in the classrooms. The goal of the grant program described in this paper is to prepare teachers of Southeast Asian background for early childhood, elementary, secondary and K-12 classrooms. The Central Wisconsin grant has supported a total of 35 Southeast Asian students in their pursuit of teaching careers. Fulfilling the goal of preparingteachers who can serve as role models for Southeast Asian children in our schools has met with successes and struggles. This article presents consideration of the central factors affectingrecruitment, retention and preparation of Hmong pre-service teachers in Central Wisconsin. The article includes a brief historical examination of the immigration of the Hmong population intothe United States, a consideration of the Hmong culture as it affects recruitment and retention of pre-service teachers and evidence related to successes and struggles experienced by Project

  20. Critical Challenges of Pre and Post Service Extension Education ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Critical Challenges of Pre and Post Service Extension Education and ... poor policy decision and implementation, rapid development in science and ... problems associated with information/communication echnologies access and utilization.

  1. Digital portfolio in building teaching efficacy of pre-service teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cimermanová Ivana

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper discusses the role of e-portfolio in the development of reflective thinking in a group of pre-service English as a foreign language teachers. It stresses the benefits it can bring (e.g. autonomous learning, cooperative learning - the author highlights the social context of e-portfolio as well as presents the threats and risks it might bring based on the own experience of the author. The results of this case study showed that the process of e-portfolio building can enhance professional development, self-confidence and the ability to self-reflect own work and progress. The author indicates also the possibilities of its use not only in the groups of pre-service teacher trainers but also in the groups of in-service teachers.

  2. Exploring the Impact of Reform Mathematics on Entry-Level Pre-Service Primary Teachers Attitudes towards Mathematics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leavy, Aisling; Hourigan, Mairead; Carroll, Claire

    2017-01-01

    This study reports entry-level mathematics attitudes of pre-service primary teachers entering an initial teacher education (ITE) program one decade apart. Attitudes of 360 pre-service primary teachers were compared to 419 pre-service teachers entering the same college of education almost one decade later. The latter experienced reform school…

  3. Improving the Leadership Skills of Pre-Service School Librarians through Leadership Pre-Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Daniella

    2014-01-01

    School librarian guidelines encourage active leadership in schools. Two ways school librarian educators can encourage school librarians to be leaders are to embed the standards into the certification curriculum and to assess the leadership potential of pre-service school librarians in order to adapt the curriculum to their needs. This mixed-method…

  4. Using Facebook as an E-Portfolio in Enhancing Pre-Service Teachers' Professional Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kabilan, Muhammad Kamarul

    2016-01-01

    This study aims to determine if "Facebook," when used as an online teacher portfolio (OTP), could contribute meaningfully to pre-service teachers' professional development (PD) and in what ways the OTP can be meaningful. Pre-service teachers (n = 91) were asked to develop OTP using "Facebook" and engage in learning and…

  5. Treatment Foster Care Pre-Service Trainings: Changes in Parenting Attitudes and Fostering Readiness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strickler, Amy; Trunzo, Annette C.; Kaelin, Michael S.

    2018-01-01

    Background: Pre-service training of treatment parents is a requirement for all foster care models to ensure safety and well-being of children in care. Researchers theorize treatment parents benefit more from enhanced pre-service trainings; however, no rigorous studies exist indicating the effectiveness of these trainings for treatment parents.…

  6. Teaching for Application: A Model for Assisting Pre-Service Teachers with Technology Integration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hur, Jung Won; Cullen, Theresa; Brush, Thomas

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to introduce a technology integration model designed to assist pre-service teachers to learn meaningful uses of technology in K-12 classrooms. Based on studies in teacher education, learning theory, and technology integration, the authors define five essential characteristics necessary for pre-service teacher…

  7. Can Pre-Service Physical Education Majors Identify Learning Standards during Authentic Teaching Episodes?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kniffin, Mike; Foley, John; MacDonald, Lynn Couturier; Howarth, Kath

    2014-01-01

    Only a handful of research studies have been conducted to determine whether or not physical educators or pre-service physical education teachers are utilizing learning standards in their teaching. While pre-service teachers are typically required to align lesson objectives and content, their extent of their understanding of how learning standards…

  8. An Exploration of Pre-Service Teachers' Intention to Use Mobile Devices for Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hur, Jung Won; Shen, Ying W.; Kale, Ugur; Cullen, Theresa A.

    2015-01-01

    Teachers in the US have been increasingly adopting mobile devices for teaching, but little research has examined how pre-service teachers perceive mobile device integration in classrooms. To address this issue, the study developed a research model that explained factors affecting pre-service teachers' intention to use mobile devices and the…

  9. Promoting Pre-Service Elementary Students' Understanding of Chemical Equilibrium through Discussions in Small Groups

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilgin, Ibrahim

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of small group discussion on students' conceptual understanding of chemical equilibrium. Students' understanding of chemical equilibrium concepts was measured using the Misconception Identification Test. The test consisted of 30 items and administered as pre-posttests to a total of 81…

  10. The effectiveness of Concept Mapping Content Representation Lesson Study (ComCoReLS) model to improve skills of Creating Physics Lesson Plan (CPLP) for pre-service physics teacher

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purwaningsih, E.; Suyatno; Wasis; Prahani, B. K.

    2018-03-01

    This research is aimed to analyse the effectiveness of ComCoReLS (Concept Mapping Content Representation Lesson Study) model towards the improvement skills of Creating Physics Lesson Plan (CPLP) for pre-service physics teacher. This research used one group pre-test and post-test design on 12 pre-service physics teacher at University of Malang State (Indonesia) in academic year 2016/2017. Data collection was conducted through test and interview. Skills of creating physics lesson plan for pre-service physics teacher measurement were conducted through Physics Lesson Plan Evaluation Sheet (PLPES). The data analysis technique was done by using paired t-test and n-gain. The CoMCoReLS model consists of 5 phases, including (1) Preparation, (2) Coaching, (3) Guided Practice, (4) Independent Practice, and (5) Evaluation. In the first, second, third and fifth phases are done at University of Malang State, while the fourth phase (Independent Practice) is done in SMAN 1 Singosari, SMAN 2 Malang, SMA Lab UM, MAN 3 Malang. The results showed that there was a significant increase in skills of creating physics lesson plan for pre-service physics teacher at α = 5% and n-gain average of high category. Thus, the ComCoReLS model is effective for improving skills of creating physics lesson plan for pre-service physics teacher.

  11. Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Scientific Literacy and Self-Efficacy in Teaching Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al Sultan, Adam; Henson, Harvey, Jr.; Fadde, Peter J.

    2018-01-01

    Many educators and educational institutions worldwide have agreed that the main goal of science education is to produce a scientifically literate community. Science teachers are key to the achievement of scientific literacy at all levels of education because of the essential role they play in preparing scientifically literate individuals. Studies…

  12. Capacity building of skilled birth attendants: A review of pre-service education curricula.

    OpenAIRE

    Adegoke, Adetoro; Mani, Safiyanu; Abubakar, Aisha; Van Den Broek, Nynke

    2013-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: to assess the level, type and content of pre-service education curricula of health workers providing maternity services against the ICM global standards for Midwifery Education and Essential competencies for midwifery practice. We reviewed the quality and relevance of pre-service education curricula of four cadres of health-care providers of maternity care in Northern Nigeria.\\ud DESIGN AND SETTING: we adapted and used the ICM global standards for Midwifery Education and Essential ...

  13. How Do Pre-Service Teachers' Reflective Processes Differ in Relation to Different Contexts?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaasila, Raimo; Lauriala, Anneli

    2012-01-01

    Reflective practice represents a central theme in teacher education. The focus of this study is to look at pre-service teachers' reflection processes and their breadth and depth in four different contexts. Our research data consist of 53 pre-service teachers' mathematics portfolios, from which three were selected for closer scrutiny. The chosen…

  14. Investigating Pre-Service Teacher Motivation across Cultures Using the Teachers' Ten Statements Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klassen, Robert M.; Al-Dhafri, Said; Hannok, Wanwisa; Betts, Shea M.

    2011-01-01

    Motivations for choosing teaching as a career were investigated in 200 pre-service teachers from Canada and Oman. We used a novel structured qualitative approach and two theoretical models to analyze how pre-service teacher career-choice motivation varied according to cultural context. The results of the study showed that Canadian participants…

  15. Pre-Service Teachers' Problems of Improvisation of Instructional Materials in Social Studies in Ekiti State University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdu-Raheem, B. O.; Oluwagbohunmi, M. F.

    2015-01-01

    This study examined problems of improvisation of instructional materials in Social Studies by pre-service teachers in Ekiti State University. The population for the study comprised all Social Studies pre-service teachers in the Faculty of Education. The sample consisted of 90 Social Studies pre-service teachers selected from 200, 300 and 400…

  16. Preparing Pre-Service Students to Teach Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Husted, Stewart W.

    1983-01-01

    Examines a teacher education course used at Indiana State University that prepares students to teach entrepreneurship and small business management. (Managing Editor, 323 Wirtz, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115) (JOW)

  17. 47 CFR 54.501 - Eligibility for services provided by telecommunications carriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... ineligible private sector members shall not be eligible for discounts for interstate services under this subpart. A consortium may include ineligible private sector entities if the pre-discount prices of any... schools meeting the statutory definitions of “elementary school,” as defined in 20 U.S.C. 7801(18), or...

  18. Louisville region demonstration of travel management coordination center : system pre-deployment preparation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-01

    The purpose of the Greater Louisville Region Demonstration of Travel Management Coordination Center (TMCC): System Pre-Deploy-ment Preparation grant was to further phased implementation of the regions TMCC design by focusing on two major component...

  19. The Relationship between Learning Styles and Leadership Orientations of Pre-Service Teachers

    OpenAIRE

    Arslan, Hasan; Uslu, Barış

    2014-01-01

    This research aims to determine the relationship between learning styles and leadership orientations of pre-service teachers. In the research process, the data collection tool consists of “Learning Styles” and “Leadership Orientations” scales and the personal information form was applied to 452 pre-service teachers. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Analysis; to determine the relationship between the variables, and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis; to examine the predictive strength of le...

  20. A Review of the Literature on Rural and Remote Pre-Service Teacher Preparation with a Focus on Blended and E-Learning Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eaton, Sarah Elaine; Dressler, Roswita; Gereluk, Dianne; Becker, Sandra

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this literature review was to review literature related to pre-service teacher education offered in an online or blended format. Scholarly articles, policy papers and other works were consulted. The results are organized into seven (7) themes, using an annotated bibliography format, with an executive summary for each theme. [This…

  1. Practicing the practice: Learning to guide elementary science discussions in a practice-oriented science methods course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Ashima Mathur

    University methods courses are often criticized for telling pre-service teachers, or interns, about the theories behind teaching instead of preparing them to actually enact teaching. Shifting teacher education to be more "practice-oriented," or to focus more explicitly on the work of teaching, is a current trend for re-designing the way we prepare teachers. This dissertation addresses the current need for research that unpacks the shift to more practice-oriented approaches by studying the content and pedagogical approaches in a practice-oriented, masters-level elementary science methods course (n=42 interns). The course focused on preparing interns to guide science classroom discussions. Qualitative data, such as video records of course activities and interns' written reflections, were collected across eight course sessions. Codes were applied at the sentence and paragraph level and then grouped into themes. Five content themes were identified: foregrounding student ideas and questions, steering discussion toward intended learning goals, supporting students to do the cognitive work, enacting teacher role of facilitator, and creating a classroom culture for science discussions. Three pedagogical approach themes were identified. First, the teacher educators created images of science discussions by modeling and showing videos of this practice. They also provided focused teaching experiences by helping interns practice the interactive aspects of teaching both in the methods classroom and with smaller groups of elementary students in schools. Finally, they structured the planning and debriefing phases of teaching so interns could learn from their teaching experiences and prepare well for future experiences. The findings were analyzed through the lens of Grossman and colleagues' framework for teaching practice (2009) to reveal how the pedagogical approaches decomposed, represented, and approximated practice throughout course activities. Also, the teacher educators

  2. The Impacts of a Service-Learning Experience on Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kyong-Hee; Statham, Anne

    2010-01-01

    This study examines the benefits that can be achieved by pre-service teachers tutoring mathematics in after school programs. Analysis of student journal entries show enhanced ability to meet National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM) process standards and methods of assessment, as well as greater awareness of the need to teach to…

  3. Understanding Geometric Ideas: Pre-Service Primary Teachers' Knowledge as a Basis for Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seah, Rebecca

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports part of an ongoing investigation into aspects of pre-service teachers' geometric knowledge. One hundred and fifty-two Australian pre-service teachers responded to a series of questions that reflect the type of knowledge teachers are expected to know and teach. Analysis of their responses shows that teacher knowledge can be…

  4. Predicting Pre-Service Teachers' Intention of Implementing Peer Assessment for Low-Achieving Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yim, Su Yon; Cho, Young Hoan

    2016-01-01

    Despite the benefits of peer assessment, many teachers are not willing to implement it, particularly for low-achieving students. This study used the theory of planned behaviour to predict pre-service teachers' intention to use peer assessment for low-achieving students. A total of 229 pre-service teachers in Singapore participated in the survey…

  5. The Investigation of the Social Entrepreneurship Characteristics of Social Studies Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yazici, Kubilay; Uslu, Salih; Arik, Soner

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the social entrepreneurship characteristics of social studies pre-service teachers in terms of various variables (gender, defining oneself as a social entrepreneur and grade). The data of the research were obtained on a volunteer basis from 253 pre-service teachers studying at the departments of social…

  6. Changing Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs to Teach in Inclusive Classrooms in Victoria, Australia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Umesh

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of completing a course in inclusive education on pre-service teachers' beliefs and confidence to teach in inclusive classrooms. Twenty seven pre-service teachers completed a survey and concept maps. It was found that participants' beliefs and confidence level to teach in inclusive classrooms…

  7. A two-station queue with dependent preparation and service times

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vlasiou, M.; Adan, I.J.B.F.; Boxma, O.J.

    2009-01-01

    We discuss a single-server multi-station alternating queue where the preparation times and the service times are auto- and cross-correlated. We examine two cases. In the first case, preparation and service times depend on a common discrete time Markov chain. In the second case, we assume that the

  8. Analysis of pre-service physics teacher skills designing simple physics experiments based technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Susilawati; Huda, C.; Kurniawan, W.; Masturi; Khoiri, N.

    2018-03-01

    Pre-service physics teacher skill in designing simple experiment set is very important in adding understanding of student concept and practicing scientific skill in laboratory. This study describes the skills of physics students in designing simple experiments based technologicall. The experimental design stages include simple tool design and sensor modification. The research method used is descriptive method with the number of research samples 25 students and 5 variations of simple physics experimental design. Based on the results of interviews and observations obtained the results of pre-service physics teacher skill analysis in designing simple experimental physics charged technology is good. Based on observation result, pre-service physics teacher skill in designing simple experiment is good while modification and sensor application are still not good. This suggests that pre-service physics teacher still need a lot of practice and do experiments in designing physics experiments using sensor modifications. Based on the interview result, it is found that students have high enough motivation to perform laboratory activities actively and students have high curiosity to be skilled at making simple practicum tool for physics experiment.

  9. The Relationship between Values and Critical Thinking Dispositions of Pre-Service Teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mustafa Volkan Coskun

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to reveal the relationship between personality values and critical thinking disposition of pre-service teachers studying in a Faculty of Education. The study was designed using the survey model. The population of this study consisted of pre-service teachers studying at the Faculty of Education at Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Turkey, during the 2015-2016 academic year. The sample of the study consisted of 570 pre-service teachers who were selected by using disproportionate cluster sampling technique. The data of the study were obtained through the administration of the Florida Critical Disposition Scale (UF/EMI and University Students Values Scale (USVS. USVS was developed within the scope of the present study. Descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and multivariate regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The study revealed that the pre-service teachers attributed highest value to sensitivity. These values were identified to be followed with respect to diversity, trustability, and responsibility. In addition, the level of students’ critical thinking dispositions was found to be at the average level. Furthermore, the values of students explained approximately one-third of the critical-thinking dispositions. The values of sensitivity, responsibility and respect for diversity were determined to be the significant predictors of students’ critical-thinking dispositions.

  10. Elementary and Secondary Educational Services of Public Television Grantees: Highlights from the 1998 Station Activities Survey. CPB Research Notes, No. 116.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Washington, DC.

    This report is a summary of a variety of educational services offered by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) supported television stations as reported in CPB's annual Station Activities Survey (1998). Highlights from the data include: 141 stations (80% of all CPB supported stations) provide educational services to elementary or secondary…

  11. The Relationship between Turkish Pre-Service ICT Teachers' Educational Philosophies and Occupational Anxieties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deryakulu, Deniz; Atal-Köysüren, Deniz

    2018-01-01

    This study examines Turkish pre-service Information and Communication Technologies teachers' educational philosophies and occupational anxieties. A total of 800 pre-service teachers participated in the study. Results showed that the predominant educational philosophies among the participants were the existentialism, progressivism,…

  12. Pre-service teachers' professional learning experiences during rural ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The concept of student teaching practice is globally rooted in training pre-service teachers to work within diverse schools and learner populations, in dissimilar contexts. It is also a drive towards the development of knowledge, professionalism, sense of efficacy, and flexibility in their performance and interactions. There is ...

  13. Pre-service Science Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs to Teach Socio-scientific Issues

    OpenAIRE

    Muğaloğlu, Ebru Z.; Küçük, Zerrin Doğança; Güven, Devrim

    2016-01-01

    This study aims to examine self-efficacy of pre-service science teachers to teach socio-scientific issues (SSI). Twenty-three senior pre-service science teachers participated in the study. Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI) was modified with an emphasis on SSI rather than scientific issues. The modified STEBI was applied to the participants before and after the intervention. As for the six-week intervention, three modules, which focused on understanding nature of SSI, teachin...

  14. An Analysis of Pre-service Primary Teachers’ Drawings of the Digestive System

    OpenAIRE

    ÇAKICI, Yılmaz

    2017-01-01

    Thisstudy explores pre-service primary teachers’ drawings of the digestive system.The research data was collected through the use of drawing method with 102third grade pre-service primary teachers studying in the Faculty of Educationat Trakya University during 2016-2017 academic year. The findings revealed thatprimary teacher candidates’ drawings of the digestive system were quite farfrom the scientifically acceptable ones. A small percentage of students (12.7percent) produced a relatively sc...

  15. Evaluation of pre-service training on integrated management of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Evaluation of pre-service training on integrated management of neonatal and childhood ... and reviews of pediatric course outlines and other teaching/learning materials. ... Of the 34 programs 22 were diploma nursing, 6 Bachelor of Sciences ...

  16. Pre-service mathematics teachers' attitudes towards learning English: A case study in Yogyakarta

    Science.gov (United States)

    Setyaningrum, Wahyu

    2017-08-01

    This study investigated attitudes of pre-service mathematics teachers towards English as one of the subject at the university. It is a qualitative study in which questionnaire and face-to-face interview were employed to collect the data. The participants of this study were sixty students of mathematics education department at one of the university in Yogyakarta. The main research question was concern with how pre-service mathematics teachers perceive the importance of learning English. This study found that most of the participants perceive English as an important language that should be acquired by mathematics teachers. Their beliefs about the importance of English were mostly due to instrumental orientation rather than integrative orientation, such as getting a good job, getting a scholarship and understanding learning sources that are written in English. The data also revealed some obstacles faced by pre-service mathematics teachers in learning English as an additional language for them. The main obstacles were related to the differences between English for mathematics and English in daily life including its vocabulary and structure. Most of the participants argued that several mathematics vocabularies had precise meaning and different from daily English. In addition, they found difficult to understand some sentences used in the paper journal due to its structure. This study therefore, provided an insight into the pre-service mathematics teachers' perception and obstacles when learning English that could be use in improving pre-service teachers' education.

  17. A consensus-based template for documenting and reporting in physician-staffed pre-hospital services

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kruger, Andreas J; Lockey, David; Kurola, Jouni

    2011-01-01

    -staffed pre-hospital services in Europe. METHODS: Using predefined criteria, we recruited sixteen European experts in the field of pre-hospital care. These experts were guided through a four-step modified nominal group technique. The process was carried out using both e-mail-based communication and a plenary...... have established a core data set for documenting and reporting in physician-staffed pre-hospital services. We believe that this template could facilitate future studies within the field and facilitate standardised reporting and future shared research efforts in advanced pre-hospital care....

  18. Qualitative Analysis of Animation versus Reading for Pre-Class Preparation in a "Flipped" Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Persky, Adam M.

    2015-01-01

    The "flipped" classroom model, including such approaches as team-based learning (TBL), stresses pre-class preparation. For three years in a pharmacokinetics course within a pharmacy curriculum, students had the choice of using reading material or a fully animated module to prepare for class. Qualitative methods were used to analyze…

  19. Pre-Service Primary Teachers' Attitudes towards Inclusive Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varcoe, Linda; Boyle, Christopher

    2014-01-01

    Research has demonstrated that an important factor in the success of inclusive education is dependent upon teachers' attitudes. Based on this evidence, the present study investigated the impact of a range of teacher variables in association with training on primary pre-service teachers' attitudes by examining total inclusion scores, positive…

  20. Academic Motivations of Pre-Service English Language Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ariogul, Sibel

    2009-01-01

    This study examines the academic motivation, in a Turkish context, of Turkish pre-service English teachers to contribute field research. Students (n=287) completed the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) and a demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, a one-way ANOVA, independent sample t-test, and Pearson product…

  1. Engaging Youth and Pre-Service Teachers in Immigration Deliberations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniel, Shannon M.

    2015-01-01

    In this report of innovative teacher practice, the author describes an arts-based event which brought together adolescent refugee and immigrant students and pre-service teachers to deliberate about immigration policies and attitudes in the United States.

  2. PRE-CONCEPTIONAL PREPARATION OF WOMEN AND ITS INFLUENCE TO THE FETUS AND CHILD HEALTH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L.L. Nisevich

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The authors presented the results of the medical history, monitoring of the pregnancy and outcome of the delivery among 260 women with obstetric gynecologic anamnesis record and high risk of the fetus contamination split into 3 groups. 106 women (group I underwent the pre con ceptional preparation 2 to 4 months prior to pregnancy and received both conventional therapy and metabolic medications prior to and during pregnancy. 82 women (group II were observed from 2nd to 3rd trimester of pregnancy and also received metabolic medications. 72 women (group III were observed from the first weeks of pregnancy and received only conventional therapy during their pregnancy. The researchers discovered that all the women had different chronic diseases. The laboratory examination proved there was a high rate of contamination by different viruses and agents of sexually transmitted diseases. They also found out that the metabolic therapy during the pre con ceptional preparation and pregnancy leads to a drastic drop of different complications during pregnancy, delivery and down lying period, improves placenta function and optimizes the fetus development conditions, sizably reduces any chances of the fetus and newborn intrauterine infection, enhances the newborn adaptation and leads to reductions in the perinatal and infant mortality. Ever deteriorating health of women and various complications during pregnancy and delivery registered among the women, who underwent pre con ceptional preparation by metabolic correction, clearly show the necessity to take steps to prevent the women's diseases and keep their reproductive health from adolescence on.Key words: pre-conceptional preparation, metabolic medications, pregnancy, act of delivery, newborns, fetal infection, perinatal death.

  3. An Investigation of the Development of Pre-Service Teacher Assessment Literacy through Individualized Tutoring and Peer Debriefing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Odo, Dennis Murphy

    2016-01-01

    Many pre-service teachers lack deep understanding of assessment concepts and have low selfefficacy for using assessments but pre-service on-campus programs have been shown to support their assessment literacy development. Likewise, individualized tutoring has helped pre-service candidates improve instructional practice and peer debriefing has been…

  4. Visiting digital fluency for pre-service teachers in Turkey

    OpenAIRE

    Kadir Demir; Betül Aydın; Nazife Şen Ersoy; Aydın Kelek; İsmail Tatar; Abdullah Kuzu; Hatice Ferhan Odabaşı

    2015-01-01

    Digital literacy is to know how to use digital tools, however digital fluency is a new concept. Beyond the digital literacy, digital fluency requires skills to know when to use the technology and even why to use the technology. The technology advances rapidly; as a result, education and instruction are getting digitalized. So it could be estimated that; pre-service teachers who are future teachers, should have digital skills. This is the main point of this study which aims to visit pre-ser...

  5. Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers on Student Burnout, Occupational Anxiety and Faculty Life Quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Türkoglu, Muhammet Emin; Cansoy, Ramazan

    2017-01-01

    Perceptions of pre-service teachers on burnout, occupational anxiety and faculty life quality were investigated in this research. The research group consisted of 461 pre-service teachers in total studying at Afyon Kocatepe University faculty of education. "Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Form," "Faculty Life Quality Scale"…

  6. Visiting digital fluency for pre-service teachers in Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kadir Demir

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Digital literacy is to know how to use digital tools, however digital fluency is a new concept. Beyond the digital literacy, digital fluency requires skills to know when to use the technology and even why to use the technology. The technology advances rapidly; as a result, education and instruction are getting digitalized. So it could be estimated that; pre-service teachers who are future teachers, should have digital skills. This is the main point of this study which aims to visit pre-service teachers in Turkey from the perspective of digital fluency, give insights about digital fluency, scrutinize its difference from digital literacy and provide literature review on the previous studies about digital fluency. Accordingly; a through literature review was performed. At first, the connection between digital fluency and the 21st century analyzed, then the differences between digital literacy and digital fluency are described. Worldwide and specifically Turkish literature review revealed that, certain studies foresaw the increasing importance of digital fluency based on development of digital devices, and Turkish literature was limited to some scale development and descriptive studies solely determining the digital literacy level of the participants. Thus, it could be stated that further and up-to-date studies are required, which would be conducted with pre-service teachers and current assessment instruments should be developed to determine digital fluency level, considering the rapid advances in technology.

  7. Pre-service physics teachers' ideas on size, visibility and structure of the atom

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uenlue, Pervin

    2010-01-01

    Understanding the atom gives the opportunity to both understand and conceptually unify the various domains of science, such as physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and geology. Among these disciplines, physics teachers are expected to be particularly well educated in this topic. It is important that pre-service physics teachers know what sort of theories regarding the atom they will bring into their own classrooms. Six tasks were developed, comprising size, visibility and structure of the atom. These tasks carried out by pre-service physics teachers were examined by content analysis and six categories were determined. These are size, visibility, subatomic particles, atom models, electron orbit and electron features. Pre-service physics teachers' ideas about the atom were clarified under these categories.

  8. PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF "ADMINISTRATION" AND "SCHOOL PRINCIPAL" REFLECTED THROUGH METAPHORS

    OpenAIRE

    Bertan Akyol; C. Bilge Kapçak

    2017-01-01

    This study aims to present pre-service teachers’ perceptions of “administration” and “school principal” reflected through metaphors; a purpose based on the fact that although they are trained in educational administration with only one course at university, pre-service teachers who are trained in the faculties of education constitute the group with the highest potential for becoming educational administrators in Turkish education system. The study group is the 4th grade (senior) university st...

  9. Motivation Change of Pre-Service English Teachers: A Hong Kong Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Icy; Yuan, Rui

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports a study that investigated the motivations towards teaching of six pre-service English teachers enrolled on a teacher education course in Hong Kong. A qualitative case study approach was adopted, using data gathered from pre- and post-course interviews with individual participants, their dialogue journals with the teacher…

  10. Pre-Service Teachers' Cultural and Teaching Experiences Abroad

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ateskan, Armagan

    2016-01-01

    This study investigates Turkish pre-service teachers' experiences related to a two-month international teaching and cultural experience in the United States of America. In total, 289 graduate students from Turkey participated in a collaborative project from 2001 to 2010. The experience included an orientation week, six weeks of student teaching in…

  11. The Impact of Project-Based Learning on Pre-Service Teachers' Technology Attitudes and Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexander, Curby; Knezek, Gerald; Christensen, Rhonda; Tyler-Wood, Tandra; Bull, Glen

    2014-01-01

    Researchers in this study looked at the effect of content-specific, technology-rich project-based learning activities on EC-8 pre-service teachers' competencies and skills, as well as pre-service teacher's attitudes toward science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Researchers employed a quantitative design involving participants in…

  12. Measuring and Supporting Pre-Service Teachers' Self-Efficacy towards Computers, Teaching, and Technology Integration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Killi, Carita; Kauppinen, Merja; Coiro, Julie; Utriainen, Jukka

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports on two studies designed to examine pre-service teachers' self-efficacy beliefs. Study I investigated the measurement properties of a self-efficacy beliefs questionnaire comprising scales for computer self-efficacy, teacher self-efficacy, and self-efficacy towards technology integration. In Study I, 200 pre-service teachers…

  13. How Do Pre-Service Teachers Picture Various Electromagnetic Phenomenon? A Qualitative Study of Pre-Service Teachers' Conceptual Understanding of Fundamental Electromagnetic Interaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beer, Christopher P.

    2010-01-01

    This study analyzes the nature of pre-service teachers' conceptual models of various electromagnetic phenomena, specifically electrical current, electrical resistance, and light/matter interactions. This is achieved through the students answering the three questions on electromagnetism using a free response approach including both verbal and…

  14. Engaging Pre-Service Teachers to Teach Science Contextually with Scientific Approach Instructional Video

    Science.gov (United States)

    Susantini, E.; Kurniasari, I.; Fauziah, A. N. M.; Prastowo, T.; Kholiq, A.; Rosdiana, L.

    2018-01-01

    Contextual teaching and learning/CTL presents new concepts in real-life experiences and situations where students can find out the meaningful relationship between abstract ideas and practical applications. Implementing contextual teaching by using scientific approach will foster teachers to find the constructive ways of delivering and organizing science content. This research developed an instructional video that represented a modeling of using a scientific approach in CTL. The aim of this research are to engage pre-service teachers in learning how to teach CTL and to show how pre-service teachers’ responses about learning how to teach CTL using an instructional video. The subjects of this research were ten pre-service teachers in Department of Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia. All subjects observed the instructional video which demonstrated contextual teaching and learning combined with the scientific approach as they completed a worksheet to analyze the video content. The results showed that pre-service teachers could learn to teach contextually as well as applying the scientific approach in science classroom through a modeling in the instructional video. They also responded that the instructional video could help them to learn to teach each component contextual teaching as well as scientific approach.

  15. The impact of inquiry-based learning on the critical thinking dispositions of pre-service science teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arsal, Zeki

    2017-07-01

    In the study, the impact of inquiry-based learning on pre-service teachers' critical thinking dispositions was investigated. The sample of the study comprised of 56 pre-service teachers in the science education teacher education programme at the public university in the north of Turkey. In the study, quasi-experimental design with an experimental and a control group were applied to find out the impact of inquiry-based learning on the critical thinking dispositions of the pre-service teachers in the teacher education programme. The results showed that the pre-service teachers in the experimental group did not show statistically significant greater progress in terms of critical thinking dispositions than those in the control group. Teacher educators who are responsible for pedagogical courses in the teacher education programme should consider that the inquiry-based learning could not be effective method to improve pre-service teachers' critical thinking dispositions. The results are discussed in relation to potential impact on science teacher education and implications for future research.

  16. The effectiveness of CPI model to improve positive attitude toward science (PATS) for pre-service physics teacher

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sunarti, T.; Wasis; Madlazim; Suyidno; Prahani, B. K.

    2018-03-01

    In the previous research, learning material based Construction, Production, and Implementation (CPI) model has been developed to improve scientific literacy and positive attitude toward science for pre-service physics teacher. CPI model has 4 phases, included: 1) Motivation; 2) Construction (Cycle I); 3) Production (Cycle II); and 4) Evaluation. This research is aimed to analyze the effectiveness of CPI model towards the improvement Positive Attitude toward Science (PATS) for pre-service physics teacher. This research used one group pre-test and post-test design on 160 pre-service physics teacher divided into 4 groups at Lambung Mangkurat University and Surabaya State University (Indonesia), academic year 2016/2017. Data collection was conducted through questioner, observation, and interview. Positive attitude toward science for pre-service physics teacher measurement were conducted through Positive Attitude toward Science Evaluation Sheet (PATSES). The data analysis technique was done by using Wilcoxon test and n-gain. The results showed that there was a significant increase in positive attitude toward science for pre-service physics teacher at α = 5%, with n-gain average of high category. Thus, the CPI model is effective for improving positive attitude toward science for pre-service physics teacher.

  17. Becoming a teacher: tracing changes in pre-service English as a foreign language teachers' sense of efficacy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H Gülru Yüksel

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available This longitudinal study aimed to trace changes in Turkish pre-service English as a foreign language teachers' self-efficacy over a year, and to detect possible sources of information influencing their efficacy. Utilizing concurrent mixed model design of Creswell (2003 both qualitative and quantitative data was collected. A total of 40 pre-service teachers participated in the study. Findings indicated that pre-service English language teachers' efficacy changed significantly over time. We also found that pre-service teachers seem to depend more on enactive mastery experience and social persuasion than on vicarious experience and affective state as sources of information. Based on our findings, measures are suggested on how to support pre-service teachers to improve their sense of efficacy. Implications for research on teaching and teacher education are discussed.

  18. Examining pre-service teacher views on the implementation of screen-based writing instruction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehmet Tok

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Today, as new technological developments continue to emerge, education, like many other fields, is going through major changes. Technological developments are causing changes to many common concepts. In particular, studies that benefit from technology in the field of education are becoming increasingly widespread, opening the door for the emergence of new teaching methods by abandoning traditional ones. New technologies, and computers in particular, can benefit the teaching of writing, the most complex of the four basic language skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening. This study aims to explore pre-service teachers' views on screen-based writing practices via a course they attended. A qualitative case study method (holistic single-case design was employed to explore pre-service teachers’ views. The study participants were selected using a purposeful sampling method among 4th year students majoring in Turkish Language Teaching at a major state university. The study group consisted of sixty-two pre-service teachers who were enrolled in the “Written Expression” I and II courses in the 2013-2014 education year. The study was conducted both in Fall and Spring semesters. All writing activities were conducted in a digital environment. The study results revealed that a majority (77% of the pre-service teachers favored continuation of the screen-based writing instruction. The study supported that digital literacy is important and the advantages of screen-based writing instruction outweighed its disadvantages. Screen-based writing activities should be integrated into the courses and instruction materials of pre-service Turkish teachers’ education programs.

  19. Cultural Identity in Teaching across Borders: Mainland Chinese Pre-Service Teachers in Hong Kong

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Mingyue Michelle

    2013-01-01

    This study explores transformations in the cultural identities of a group of pre-service teachers from mainland China during their educational experiences in Hong Kong, and how these transformations subsequently impact their professional identity. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted with 16 cross-border pre-service teachers from a…

  20. Characteristics of Place Identity as Part of Professional Identity Development among Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gross, Michal; Hochberg, Nurit

    2016-01-01

    How do pre-service teachers perceive place identity, and is there a connection between their formative place identity and the development of their professional teaching identity? These questions are probed among pre-service teachers who participated in a course titled "Integrating Nature into Preschool." The design of the course was…

  1. The Use of the History of Mathematics in the Teaching Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galante, Dianna

    2014-01-01

    Many scholars have written about using the history of mathematics in the teaching of pre-service mathematics teachers. For this study, pre-service mathematics teachers developed an electronic journal of reflections based on presentations in the history of mathematics in a secondary mathematics education course. The main purpose of the…

  2. Factors Influencing Pre-Service Teachers' Perception of Teaching Games for Understanding: A Constructivist Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lijuan; Ha, Amy S.

    2012-01-01

    This study aims to examine the factors influencing pre-service Physical Education (PE) teachers' perception of a specific constructivist approach--Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) in Hong Kong. By adopting a qualitative approach, 20 pre-service PE teachers were recruited for individual semi-structured interviews. Deductive data analysis was…

  3. Reverberating Chords: Implications of Storied Nostalgia for Borderland Discourses in Pre-Service Teacher Identity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strong-Wilson, Teresa; Johnston, Ingrid; Wiltse, Lynne; Burke, Anne; Phipps, Heather; Gonzalez, Ismel

    2014-01-01

    The research that is the subject of this paper set out to interrogate pre-service teachers' responses to issues of national identity, ideology, and representation in contemporary multicultural Canadian picture books. While the research focused on whether and how the literature could serve to inform and broaden pre-service teachers'…

  4. Identifying Ghanaian Pre-Service Teachers' Readiness for Computer Use: A Technology Acceptance Model Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gyamfi, Stephen Adu

    2016-01-01

    This study extends the technology acceptance model to identify factors that influence technology acceptance among pre-service teachers in Ghana. Data from 380 usable questionnaires were tested against the research model. Utilising the extended technology acceptance model (TAM) as a research framework, the study found that: pre-service teachers'…

  5. Development of Pre-Service Physics Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) throughout Their Initial Training

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karal, Isik Saliha; Alev, Nedim

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the development of pre-service physics teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) on the subject of electricity and magnetism after their completion of physics and mathematics courses. A descriptive longitudinal development research was carried out with 13 pre-service teachers (PTs) who completed…

  6. Pre-service Physics Teachers Views on Designing and Developing Physics Digital Stories

    OpenAIRE

    Kocakaya, Serhat; Karakoyun, Ferit; Kotluk, Nihat

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study is to determine the pre-service physics teachers views on the effect of designing and developing physics digital stories (DST) on improving their 21st centuries skills. The study is a qualitative research carried out with 13 pre-service physics teachers, who participated in the course of designing and developing DST, during 6 weeks, at Yuzuncu Yil University, Turkey, in the spring term of 2013-2014 academic year. Data were collected using semi-structured interview...

  7. Knowledge and Beliefs about Developmental Dyslexia: A Comparison between Pre-Service and In-Service Peruvian Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Echegaray-Bengoa, Joyce; Soriano-Ferrer, Manuel; Joshi, R. Malatesha

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge, misconceptions, and knowledge gaps of Peruvian pre-service teachers (PSTs) and in-service teachers (ISTs). To do so, 112 PSTs and 113 ISTs completed the Knowledge and Beliefs About Developmental Dyslexia Scale (KBDDS). Results show that ISTs scored significantly higher than PSTs.…

  8. Pre-Calculus Instructional Guide for Elementary Functions, Analytic Geometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD.

    This is a guide for use in semester-long courses in Elementary Functions and Analytic Geometry. A list of entry-level skills and a list of approved textbooks is provided. Each of the 18 units consists of: (1) overview, suggestions for teachers, and suggested time; (2) list of objectives; (3) cross-references guide to approved textbooks; (4) sample…

  9. The development and validation of a three-tier diagnostic test measuring pre-service elementary education and secondary science teachers' understanding of the water cycle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaffer, Dannah Lynn

    The main goal of this research study was to develop and validate a three-tier diagnostic test to determine pre-service teachers' (PSTs) conceptual knowledge of the water cycle. For a three-tier diagnostic test, the first tier assesses content knowledge; in the second tier, a reason is selected for the content answer; and the third tier allows test-takers to select how confident they are in their answers for the first two tiers. The second goal of this study was to diagnose any alternative conceptions PSTs might have about the water cycle. The Water Cycle Diagnostic Test (WCDT) was developed using the theoretical framework by Treagust (1986, 1988, and 1995), and in similar studies that developed diagnostic tests (e.g., Calean & Subramaniam, 2010a; Odom & Barrow, 2007; Pesman & Eryilmaz, 2010). The final instrument consisted of 15 items along with a demographic survey that examined PSTs' weather-related experiences that may or may not have affected the PSTs' understanding of the water cycle. The WCDT was administered to 77 PSTs enrolled in science methods courses during the fall of 2012. Among the 77 participants, 37 of the PSTs were enrolled in elementary education (EPST) and 40 in secondary science (SPST). Using exploratory factor analysis, five categories were factored out for the WCDT: Phase Change of Water; Condensation and Storage; Clouds; Global Climate Change; and Movement through the Water Cycle. Analysis of the PSTs' responses demonstrated acceptable reliability (alpha = 0.62) for the instrument, and acceptable difficulty indices and discrimination indices for 12 of the items. Analysis indicated that the majority of the PSTs had a limited understanding of the water cycle. Of the PSTs sampled, SPSTs were significantly more confident in their answers' on the WCDT than the EPSTs. Completion of an undergraduate atmospheric science and/or meteorology course, as well as a higher interest in listening and/or viewing weather-related programs, resulted in PSTs

  10. Pre-Service Physics Teachers’ Concept Mastery and the Challenges of Game Development on Physics Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saprudin, S.; Liliasari, L.; Prihatmanto, A. S.

    2017-09-01

    This study is a survey that aims to describe pre-service physics teachers’ concept mastery at a university in Ternate. Data were collected through test standard instrument for physics which used in the teacher certification program. Data were analyzed by using quantitative descriptive technique. Based on the results of data analysis, it was concluded that generally pre-service physics teachers’ concept mastery can be categorized on low category (25.4%). The map of concept mastery will be used as a reference to developing game design in the physics learning context for pre-service physics teachers.

  11. Emotional Intelligence and Beliefs about Children, Discipline and Classroom Practices among Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flanagan, Maryclare E.

    2009-01-01

    This research sought to explore how emotional intelligence (EI) shapes the beliefs of pre-service teachers with respect to issues such as classroom management and student behavior. 101 pre-service teachers were recruited from undergraduate and graduate education courses at a private, mid-sized university. The Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i),…

  12. Pre-Service Biology Teachers' and Primary School Students' Attitudes toward and Knowledge about Snakes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomazic, Iztok

    2011-01-01

    Snakes are controversial animals emblazoned by legends, but also endangered as a result of human prejudice and fear. The author investigated gender and age-related differences in attitudes to and knowledge of snakes comparing samples of school children and pre-service teachers. It was found that although pre-service teachers had better knowledge…

  13. Information Technologies Pre-Service Teachers' Acceptance of Tablet PCs as an Innovative Learning Tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuhadar, Cem

    2014-01-01

    The current study is aimed to determine if Turkish IT pre-service teachers' acceptance of tablet PCs is within the framework of the Technology Acceptance Model. The research was patterned as a phenomenological study which is among the qualitative research methods. Participants were eight pre-service teachers studying in Trakya University, Faculty…

  14. Pre-Service Physics Teachers' Opinions about the Difficulties in Understanding Introductory Quantum Physics Topics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kizilcik, Hasan Sahin; Yavas, Pervin Ünlü

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study is to identify the opinions of pre-service physics teachers about the difficulties in introductory quantum physics topics. In this study conducted with twenty-five pre-service physics teachers, the case study method was used. The participants were interviewed about introductory quantum physics topics. The interviews were…

  15. Investigation of Pre-Service Science Teachers' Academic Self-Efficacy and Academic Motivation toward Biology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ates, Hüseyin; Saylan, Asli

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to examine pre-service science teachers' academic motivation and academic self-efficacy toward biology. The sample consisted of 369 pre-service science teachers who enrolled in the faculty of education of two universities in Turkey. Data were collected through Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) (Glynn & Koballa,…

  16. Pre-Service Music Teachers' Metaphorical Perceptions of the Concept of a Music Teaching Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiliç, Deniz Beste Çevik

    2017-01-01

    This study was intended to reveal pre-service music teachers' perceptions of the concept of a "music teaching program" with the use of metaphors. Its sample included 130 pre-service music teachers in the Music Teaching Program of Fine Arts Teaching Department in Balikesir University's Education Faculty. The study data were collected by…

  17. An analysis of pre-service family planning teaching in clinical and nursing education in Tanzania.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muganyizi, Projestine S; Ishengoma, Joyce; Kanama, Joseph; Kikumbih, Nassoro; Mwanga, Feddy; Killian, Richard; McGinn, Erin

    2014-07-12

    Promoting family planning (FP) is a key strategy for health, economic and population growth. Sub-Saharan Africa, with one of the lowest contraceptive prevalence and highest fertility rates globally, contributes half of the global maternal deaths. Improving the quality of FP services, including enhancing pre-service FP teaching, has the potential to improve contraceptive prevalence. In efforts to improve the quality of FP services in Tanzania, including provider skills, this study sought to identify gaps in pre-service FP teaching and suggest opportunities for strengthening the training. Data were collected from all medical schools and a representative sample of pre-service nursing, Assistant Medical Officer (AMO), Clinical Officer (CO) and assistant CO schools in mainland Tanzania. Teachers responsible for FP teaching at the schools were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Observations on availability of teaching resources and other evidence of FP teaching and evaluation were documented. Relevant approved teaching documents were assessed for their suitability as competency-based FP teaching tools against predefined criteria. Quantitative data were analyzed using EPI Info 6 and qualitative data were manually analyzed using content analysis. A total of 35 pre-service schools were evaluated for FP teaching including 30 technical education and five degree offering schools. Of the assessed 11 pre-service curricula, only one met the criteria for suitability of FP teaching. FP teaching was typically theoretical with only 22.9% of all the schools having systems in place to produce graduates who could skillfully provide FP methods. Across schools, the target skills were the same level of competence and skewed toward short acting methods of contraception. Only 23.3% (n = 7) of schools had skills laboratories, 76% (n = 22) were either physically connected or linked to FP clinics. None of the degree providing schools practiced FP at its own teaching hospital

  18. Cyberbully and Victim Experiences of Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tosun, Nilgün

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of different types of cyber bullying, the ways in which cyber bullying occurred, whether the identity of cyber bullies were known, and reaction to being cyber bullied among pre-service teachers. Relationships between gender and likelihood of being a cyber bully/victim were also investigated.…

  19. Face-to-face: Changing future teachers through direct service learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ron Caro

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available This qualitative research study analyzed the changes in social dispositions of pre-service teachers. These pre-service teachers tutored homeless children in an urban homeless shelter as part of a direct service learning project. Utilizing surveys at the beginning of the study and at the end, and reflective journals of participants, data was analyzed according to changes in the following dispositions: understanding students with social needs, anticipated changes in future teaching dispositions, and anticipated changes in pedagogical approaches. Findings support the need for imbedding direct service learning into teacher preparation programs. KEYWORDSteacher preparation, social dispositions, service-learning, community-based research, civic engagement, community engagement, community partnerships

  20. Pre-service teachers opinions on cloud supported social network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seher Ozcan

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Pre-service\tteachers\tare\texpected\tto\tuse\tnew\ttechnologies\tsuch\tas\tGoogle+\twhich\tfacilitates\tcontacting,\tsharing\tin\tcertain\tenvironments\tand\tworking\tcollaboratively\twith\tthe\thelp\tof\tcloud\tsupport\tin\ttheir\tlessons\teffectively.\tThis study aims to examine pre-service teachers’ opinions regarding the use of Google+ to support lesson activities.\tIn\tthis\tstudy\tthe\tdata\twas\tcollected\tusing\tsemi-structured\tinterview\ttechniques\tcarried\tout\twith\tpreservice teachers (n=15\tchosen\tby\tpurposeful sampling.\tThe\tpurposes\tof\tusing\tGoogle+\twere sharing,\tchatting\tand\tcommunication,\twhereas\tGoogle\tDocs\twas\tmostly\tused\tfor\tits\tefficiency,\tinteraction,\tthe\tprudential\tpurpose\tof\tuse\tand\tto\tsupport\tteaching.\tWhen\tthe\tviews\tof\tthe\tpre-service\tteachers\tregarding\tthe\tuse\tof\tGoogle+\twere examined\tit\twas\tfound\tthat\tinterface\tbeing\tthought\tto\tbe\tmore\tcomplex\tthan\tother\tsocial\tnetworks\taffected\tthe teachers’\tfirst\timpressions\tnegatively.\tAs\tthe\tnegative\tfirst\timpression\ttowards\tGoogle+\tchanged\tin\ttime,\tit\twas\tstated to have provided a number of teaching opportunities. Some suggestions regarding the opportunities Google+\toffers\twere\talso\tmade.

  1. Recent developments in sample preparation and data pre-treatment in metabonomics research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Ning; Song, Yi peng; Tang, Huiru; Wang, Yulan

    2016-01-01

    Metabonomics is a powerful approach for biomarker discovery and an effective tool for pinpointing endpoint metabolic effects of external stimuli, such as pathogens and disease development. Due to its wide applications, metabonomics is required to deal with various biological samples of different properties. Hence sample preparation and corresponding data pre-treatment become important factors in ensuring validity of an investigation. In this review, we summarize some recent developments in metabonomics sample preparation and data-pretreatment procedures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. A Study on Reflective Reciprocal Peer Coaching for Pre-Service Teachers: Change in Reflectivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonen, S. Ipek Kuru

    2016-01-01

    Reflective practice is considered as an effective way for professional development in order to gain awareness of one's own teaching as well as to compete with the changing needs of the students. Especially in pre-service period, when pre-service teachers work cooperatively with their peers in a reciprocal fashion towards reflectivity, it has a…

  3. The Relationship between the Entrepreneurship Characteristics and Metacognitive Awareness Levels of Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duman, Burcu

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between the entrepreneurship characteristics and metacognitive awareness levels of pre-service teachers. Qualitative research method is used in this study and the study is designed as a relational survey. The sample of the study was 441 pre-service teachers studying at the faculty of…

  4. The Relationship between Critical Thinking Disposition and Locus of Control in Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oguz, Aytunga; Sariçam, Hakan

    2016-01-01

    The aim of the current research study was to examine the link between critical thinking dispositions and locus of control in pre-service teachers. The participants of this study were selected via easily accessible sampling technique. The participants consist of 347 pre-service teachers (203 female, 144 male) in Kütahya, Turkey. The Rotter…

  5. Examining Primary Pre-Service Teachers' Difficulties of Mathematics Teaching with the Micro-Teaching Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savas Basturk; Tastepe, Mehtap

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to examine primary pre-service teachers' difficulties of the teaching of mathematics with micro-teaching method. The participants of the study were 15 third grade pre-service teachers from the department of primary education in the faculty of education. In this grade which includes four sections, there were…

  6. The Relationship between Pre-Service Teachers' Lifelong Learning Tendencies and Teaching Profession Anxiety Levels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Özen, Rasit; Öztürk, Duygu Saniye

    2016-01-01

    The present study aims to examine the relationship between pre-service teachers' lifelong learning tendencies and teaching profession anxiety levels with respect to certain variables (their gender and subject area) and is designed as a survey study. The fourth year pre-service teachers (n=455) in the spring semester of the 2015-2016 academic year…

  7. Implementing Elementary School Next Generation Science Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kennedy, Katheryn B.

    Implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards requires developing elementary teacher content and pedagogical content knowledge of science and engineering concepts. Teacher preparation for this undertaking appears inadequate with little known about how in-service Mid-Atlantic urban elementary science teachers approach this task. The purpose of this basic qualitative interview study was to explore the research questions related to perceived learning needs of 8 elementary science teachers and 5 of their administrators serving as instructional leaders. Strategies needed for professional growth to support learning and barriers that hamper it at both building and district levels were included. These questions were considered through the lens of Schon's reflective learning and Weick's sensemaking theories. Analysis with provisional and open coding strategies identified informal and formal supports and barriers to teachers' learning. Results indicated that informal supports, primarily internet usage, emerged as most valuable to the teachers' learning. Formal structures, including professional learning communities and grade level meetings, arose as both supportive and restrictive at the building and district levels. Existing formal supports emerged as the least useful because of the dominance of other priorities competing for time and resources. Addressing weaknesses within formal supports through more effective planning in professional development can promote positive change. Improvement to professional development approaches using the internet and increased hands on activities can be integrated into formal supports. Explicit attention to these strategies can strengthen teacher effectiveness bringing positive social change.

  8. Supporting Elementary Education in-Service Teachers' Proficiency in Planning STEM-Centric Lessons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowers, Sharon W.

    The purpose of this study was to explore the McDaniel College Elementary STEM Instructional Leader (ESIL) pilot cohort's ability to proficiently plan lessons that incorporated the Maryland State STEM Standards of Practice (SOP), targeting integration of STEM content, inquiry learning, students' abilities to collaborate as a STEM team and students' strategic application of technology. Data collection, in the form of reviewing and analyzing study participants' lesson plans and self-reflections, was completed by three independent assessors. The researcher examined the interrater reliability among the three assessors using the Fleiss' kappa statistic. A 0.91 proportion of agreement consensus was documented among the three assessors. A test of hypothetical value was conducted using the nonparametric Wilcoxonsigned- rank Test. Interpretation of the Wilcoxon-signed-rank Test results suggest that the sample population demonstrated proficient planning abilities for the four targeted Maryland State STEM SOP. Findings from this research add to the field's knowledge of elements in the promotion of graduate coursework that leads to elementary in-service teachers' proficiency in planning STEM-centric lessons, however the findings also have broader implications for teacher education at large. The McDaniel College ESIL model could frame K-12 teacher education for both preservice and in-service teachers. The pragmatic, hybrid experience maximizes flexibility, promotes analytical thinking and self-reflection and builds communication skills. The introduction and development of inquiry and design-based learning through the 7E Learning Cycle develops the teachers' understanding of practices promoted not only within the Maryland State STEM SOP, but also within the Next Generation Science Standards. The McDaniel College ESIL model also builds upon the collective efforts of academia, a non-profit STEM research facility, and local school divisions to align efforts that may lead to

  9. Pre-service teachers' competencies for technology integration: Insights from a mathematics-specific instructional technology course

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Agyei, D.D.; Voogt, Joke; Resta, P.

    2012-01-01

    A combination of various measures (self-report, learning outcomes and written reports) was employed to investigate 104 pre-service teachers’ competencies in spreadsheet integration after enrolling in an Instructional Technology course. The pre-service teachers engaged in a “learning technology by

  10. Invisible thread: pre-service success indicators among Marine general officers

    OpenAIRE

    Munoz, Valerie; Common, Joseph; Lue, Kendra

    2017-01-01

    Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited The purpose of this study is to identify commonalities that may exist among general officers within the Unites States Marine Corps. This exploratory analysis focuses on pre-service indicators of success and assesses the existence of any competitive advantages. The data used in this analysis includes pre- and post-accession information obtained from the United States Marine Corps' Total Force Data Warehouse (TFDW), as well as semi-struc...

  11. Pre-Service Physics Teachers’ Problem-solving Skills in Projectile Motion Concept

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutarno, S.; Setiawan, A.; Kaniawati, I.; Suhandi, A.

    2017-09-01

    This study is a preliminary research aiming at exploring pre-service physics teachers’ skills in applying the stage of problem-solving strategies. A total of 76 students of physics education study program at a college in Bengkulu Indonesia participated in the study. The skills on solving physics problems are being explored through exercises that demand the use of problem-solving strategies with several stages such as useful description, physics approach, specific application of physics, physics equation, mathematical procedures, and logical progression. Based on the results of data analysis, it is found that the pre-service physics teachers’ skills are in the moderate category for physics approach and mathematical procedural, and low category for the others. It was concluded that the pre-service physics teachers’ problem-solving skills are categorized low. It is caused by the learning of physics that has done less to practice problem-solving skills. The problems provided are only routine and poorly trained in the implementation of problem-solving strategies.The results of the research can be used as a reference for the importance of the development of physics learning based on higher order thinking skills.

  12. Opinions of Pre-service Social Studies Teachers about Using Historical Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aslı AVCI AKÇALI

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This research aimed to identify the knowledge, attitude and skill levels of pre-service social studies teachers about using historical environment in teaching. Based on this aim it can be included in the scope of the survey research. Participants of the research which was realized in 2015-2016 academic year were 75 senior grade pre-service teachers in the department of social studies teaching of a university from the north of Turkey. In the research, qualitative approach was followed in data collection. A questionnaire including open-ended questions and semi-structured interview technique were used. The data were analyzed according to the content analysis method. As the result of the study, it was identified that pre-service social studies teachers had knowledge to a certain extent about the definition of the historical environment, elements of it, educational attainments it might provide and the method and techniques which can be applied to use it. Moreover, they did not have enough knowledge about the nearby historical environment. Furthermore, it was propounded that attitude levels of the participants about using historical environment in social studies teaching were high whereas the skill levels were low.

  13. Motivations and Concerns: Voices from Pre-Service Language Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kavanoz, Suzan; Yüksel, Hatice G.

    2017-01-01

    Contemporary interactionist theories conceive identity formation as a dynamic process that is continuously co-constructed within a social context. For pre-service language teachers, teacher education programs constitute the context in which their professional identities are formed. This cross-sectional qualitative study aims at exploring…

  14. Analysis of the learning curve for pre-cut corneal specimens in preparation for lamellar transplantation: a prospective, single-centre, consecutive case series prepared at the Lions New South Wales Eye Bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Aifric Isabel; Devasahayam, Rajnesh; Hodge, Christopher; Cooper, Simon; Sutton, Gerard L

    2017-09-01

    This study is the first paper to establish a learning curve by a single technician. Preparation of pre-cut corneal endothelial grafts commenced at Lions New South Wales Eye Bank in December 2014. The primary objective of this study was to review the safety and reliability of the preparation method during the first year of production. This is a hospital-based, prospective case series. There were 234 consecutive donor corneal lenticules. Donor lenticules were prepared by a single operator using a linear cutting microkeratome. Immediately prior to cutting, central corneal thickness values were recorded. Measurements of the corneal bed were taken immediately following lenticule preparation. Outcomes were separated by blade sizes, and intended thickness was compared to actual thickness for each setting. Early specimens were compared to later ones to assess for a learning curve within the technique. The main parameter measured is the mean difference from intended lamellar cut thickness. The mean final cut thickness was 122.36 ± 20.35 μm, and the mean difference from intended cut was 30.17 ± 37.45 μm. No significant difference was found between results achieved with early specimens versus those achieved with later specimens (P = 0.425). Thin, reproducible endothelial grafts can routinely be produced by trained technicians at their respective eye banks without significant concerns for an extended learning curve. This service can reduce perioperative surgical complexity, required surgical paraphernalia and theatre times. The consistent preparation of single-pass, ultrathin pre-cut corneas may have additional advantages for surgeons seeking to introduce lamellar techniques. © 2017 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

  15. Academic Writing in Reflexive Professional Writing: Citations of Scientific Literature in Supervised Pre-Service Training Reports

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lívia Chaves de Melo

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we investigate citation practices of scientific literature in reflexive writing from the genre of supervised pre-service training report produced by pre-service teachers enrolled in the mandatory pre-service training subject of English Language Teaching, at an undergraduate language teaching course. The aim of this research is to analyze how these pre-services teacher represent themselves based on citation practices of scientific literature, and characterize some of the functions deployed by the citations in the reflexive writing emerging in the academic sphere. We use the dialogic approach to language from Bakhtinian studies as a theoretical base, as well as theoretical and methodological contributions regarding types of sequences and of discourse proposed by Adam and Bronckart. The results of this research show that the practice of citation of scientific literature is an invocation of authority as a form of erudition, amplification and ornamentation of the discourse produced. This practice can also guide pedagogical action developed by pre-service teachers in their supervised training.

  16. Metaphoric Perceptions of Teachers and Pre-Service Teachers about 4+4+4 Education System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aykac, Necdet; Bilgin, Hilal; Kabaran, Hasret

    2016-01-01

    This study aims to determine the perceptions of teachers and pre-service teachers about 4+4+4 education system via the metaphors they have developed. In this study, the opinions of teachers and pre-service teachers are described with qualitative approach. The participants of the study are 137 primary school 1st grade teachers, working in Mugla in…

  17. Challenges Pre-Service Teachers Face When Implementing a 5E Inquiry Model of Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enugu, Ramya; Hokayem, Hayat

    2017-01-01

    This study examined the challenges that pre-service teachers faced when implementing inquiry and their perspective on how to overcome them. The data sample was 55 pre-service teachers (PSTs) enrolled into two sections of a science methods course in a private university in North Texas. The data sources consisted of inquiry-based lesson plans, PST…

  18. Investigation of Pre-Service Teachers' Levels of Readiness to Technology Integration in Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuhadar, Cem

    2018-01-01

    This study aims to expose the training and experience that pre-service teachers acquire in the course of their study at schools of education in regard to the use of information and communication technology (ICT). The study adopts the survey model and its sampling is comprised of 832 pre-service teachers who attend four different faculty of…

  19. Metaphor Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers towards Mathematics and Mathematics Education in Preschool Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keles, Oguz; Tas, Isil; Aslan, Durmus

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to identify the thoughts of pre-service teachers, who play an important role in the early preschool experience of children in mathematics, towards the concepts of mathematics and education of mathematics with the help of metaphors. The study group of the research consists of a total of 227 pre-service teachers at the…

  20. Critical Considerations in Becoming Literacy Educators: Pre-Service Teachers Rehearsing Agency and Negotiating Risk

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ticknor, Anne Swenson

    2015-01-01

    This article looks closely at the talk of two pre-service teachers over time to examine how they used language as a way of rehearsing their evolving agency as literacy educators. Drawing on critical sociocultural theory, I use Agency Tracing to highlight how pre-service teachers' agentic actions are not isolated phenomena but ones developed and…