Abstract

This study explored pre-service chemistry teachers’ beliefs related to constructivist and traditional approaches to teaching and learning. In addition, this was examined focusing on 3rd and 4th graders who experienced teaching practicum and 1st and 2nd graders who did not experience teaching practicum. To this end, items developed by Woolley, Benjamin, & Woolley (2004) for the assessment of teaching and learning beliefs were utilized, with 75 pre-service chemistry teachers participating in the survey. An exploratory factor analysis identified six items related to traditional educational views and five items related to constructivist views for belief analysis. Differences between these educational views were compared using paired sample t-tests, and differences in beliefs across groups and items were compared using ANOVA. Overall, the group with teaching practicum experience showed statistically higher beliefs in constructivist educational views, whereas the group without experience showed no statistical difference. A detailed items analysis revealed higher beliefs in traditional education views in practices of written assessments and structured discussion classes. In the constructivist view, beliefs were statistically lower in informal student evaluations. Group analysis showed statistically higher beliefs in constructivist educational views among those with teaching practicum experience compared to those without. This suggests the value of teaching practicum experience in enhancing pre-service teachers’ beliefs in constructivist education.

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