BELIEFS ABOUT CHEMISTRY TEACHING AND LEARNING—A COMPARISON OF TEACHERS’ AND STUDENT TEACHERS’ BELIEFS FROM JORDAN, TURKEY AND GERMANY

Abstract

This paper discusses beliefs about teaching and learning chemistry. The sample includes chemistry student teachers and in-service teachers from Jordan, Turkey, and Germany. Two test instruments were used to investigate (student) teachers’ beliefs. A qualitative instrument was used to explore Beliefs about Classroom Organization, Beliefs about Teaching Objectives, and Epistemological Beliefs. A quantitative instrument was added to evaluate participants’ beliefs concerning the Nature of Good Education. The results show that Jordanian chemistry teachers and teacher trainees held the most traditional, teacher-centered, and transmission-oriented beliefs, while the German sample showed the most modern beliefs toward teaching and learning. Turkish (student) teachers evidenced more moderate beliefs, which tended to be between the two extremes, but that could still be positioned more closely to the traditional way of thinking. The results are discussed in the context of chemistry teacher education in the three respective countries.