“Creating Creativity”: Improving Pre-service Teachers’ Conceptions About Creativity in Chemistry

Changes in the educational system need strong support from and connection to teachers. For this, knowledge about teachers is needed. A key factor in changing the chemistry classroom reality are teachers—in-service and pre-service. Chemistry Education Research is a new domain in Croatia. Since the transfer of the data from various undertaken studies on teachers’ knowledge is not easy based on differences in educational systems, research in the Croatian context is needed. Particle Theory is one of the main topics and the basis of chemistry teaching and learning. This study is based on open-ended questions following the frame of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and Big Ideas about Particle Theory by Loughran. Data analysis follows the pattern of graduating the PCK of the participants at the novice, intermediate or advanced level. The results show that pre-service chemistry teachers’ PCK is either novice or intermediate on the national level, while the results for particular universities show some differences in chemistry pre-service teachers’ PCK. Thus, the study can be an excellent starting point for chemistry teacher educators in university for further development of pre-service teachers’ PCK.

This study aimed to promote self-regulated learning skills in pre-service teachers, and to this end, a two-year Self-Regulated Learning Skills Development (SLSD) Plan for pre-service chemistry teachers was developed. In this SLSD plan, the strategy instruction was conducted in an integrated way into the content courses of the chemistry education curriculum. The strategy instruction was carried out in four parts: “time management strategies”, “reading comprehension and summarization strategies”, “writing strategies” and “questioning strategies”. In addition, metacognitive strategies used by the pre-service teachers during the strategy instruction were also examined. Semi-structured interviews, self-monitoring forms, field notes, and student-generated questions were used to collect data to identify the strategies that the pre-service teachers used and determine the changes that occurred as a result of the application of these strategies. The data were analyzed using descriptive and content analysis methods. It was determined that both the frequency of use and the diversity of the strategies used increased in time management strategies, reading comprehension and summarizing strategies, and writing strategies. In questioning strategies, when the quality of the questions created by pre-service teachers was examined, it was determined that there was an increase in the quality of these questions in terms of “thinking level” and “content”, but there was no regular trend in terms of “chemistry understanding levels”. It was observed that most of the pre-service teachers also applied metacognitive strategies during strategy instruction. In the light of the results of this study, suggestions on promoting self-regulated learning skills in pre-service teachers are provided for chemistry teacher education, and chemistry education researchers.

In this study, we examined the effect of School Experience (SE) and Practice Teaching (PT) courses on pre-service chemistry teachers’ beliefs towards chemistry teaching over a one-year period. To reach this purpose, participants’ beliefs and experiences towards chemistry teaching were monitored closely throughout the varied phases of the two practicum courses. Two pre-service chemistry teachers participated in the study. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews, observation notes, CoRes and reflection papers. Semi-structured interviews focusing on the pre-service teachers’ beliefs regarding chemistry teaching were conducted three times while participating in the SE and PT courses. During the PT course before their teaching experiences the participants prepared CoRes, and after their experiences they critiqued their own performances. Moreover, the participants were observed during their student-teaching experiences to identify how they transfer their beliefs into their teaching. Data were analyzed via inductive analyses. Results indicated that both pre-service teachers had stable core beliefs derived from their own experiences as students that remained constant during these courses and guided their practical instruction. Although both participants attended the same courses during the teacher education program, their attitudes while taking the educational courses were different. Factors that shaped pre-service teachers’ beliefs towards teaching were presented as the practicum courses enriched with CoRes and reflection papers, observing their mentors, experiences gained from microteaching sessions, and pedagogical and methods courses taken during the pre-service teacher education program. Implications for the formation of pre-service teachers’ beliefs towards teaching throughout pre-service teacher education programs were provided.

In this study, a mixed-method design was employed to investigate pre-service chemistry teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) development. For effective technology integration in instruction, knowledge about technology is not enough; teachers should have different knowledge types which are content, pedagogical, and technological. The 17 pre-service chemistry teachers who enrolled in the Instructional Technology and Material Development course participated in the study for one semester. The purpose of this course was to learn how to integrate simulations, animations, instructional games, data-logging, virtual labs and virtual field trips into chemistry instruction considering factors such as chemistry subjects and students’ possible alternative conceptions or their previous chemistry knowledge. A survey and interviews were used to gather data on the pre-service chemistry teachers’ TPACK framework both before and after the semester. A mixed between-within subjects analysis of variance was conducted to examine the differences in the pre-service teachers’ TPACK at two time periods considering also the gender factor. For the qualitative data, deductive analysis based on existing codes and categories was applied. The quantitative and qualitative findings of this study revealed that the pre-service chemistry teachers’ TPACK improved partially on some components. In addition, based on these findings, gender was not found to be a significant variable in technology integration. For further development in the TPACK framework, more context related technology applications in a learning and teaching environment are needed.

The purpose of this study was to develop pre-service chemistry teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) regarding atoms and the periodic table via mentoring. Two pre-service chemistry teachers with different levels of academic achievement participated in the study. The development of the participants’ PCK was investigated in terms of the following components: orientations toward science teaching, knowledge of curriculum, knowledge of instructional strategies, knowledge of learners, and knowledge of assessment. The data of this study were collected over four months using multiple data collection tools, including semi-structured interviews, observations, content representations, card-sorting activities, and field notes. The results of this study provided evidence for the relationship between the development of PCK and mentoring. However, as a result of the mentoring, it was determined that the improvements in the PCK components did not occur at the same levels for these participants. One of the participants had an advanced level of improvement in all PCK components through mentoring, while the other participant had varying levels of improvement in PCK components. It was found that the more academically successful participant had more advanced development in all components of PCK as a result of mentoring. For the other participant with lower academic achievement, there was no improvement in some respects of PCK components. According to the results of this study, it can be said that the development of PCK can be fostered through mentoring in pre-service chemistry teacher education. In light of the results of this study, implications are stated for in-service chemistry teacher education, pre-service chemistry teacher education, and chemistry education researchers.

The purpose of this study is to investigate prospective chemistry teachers’ expectations and experiences of teaching practice. Six (four females and two males) pre-service chemistry teachers taking a School Experience II course participated in the study. A case study design was employed. The data were collected from multiple sources including observations, lesson plans, and semi-structured interviews before and after the school experience course. Pre-service teachers’ expectations and experiences were categorized regarding the faculty, placement school, and teaching practice. It was found that school experience courses are crucial for pre-service teachers in deciding whether to continue in the teaching profession. It is also concluded that the harmony between pre-service teachers’ expectations of and experiences in the school experience course had an influence on their opinions related to the teaching profession.

Pre-service teachers for secondary schools do not often perceive the academic content knowledge from their university teaching programme to be relevant for their future teaching profession. Hence, they lack motivation to learn those contents, which may have effect on their achievement. The aim of the study was, to develop a specific learning programme to enhance the perceived relevance of academic content knowledge. The learning programme was applied as an obligatory course for pre-service chemistry teachers with three 90-minute sessions and aimed to connect the academic content knowledge with the school-related content knowledge by structured content knowledge. The intervention study with a control group and a pre-post-test design to evaluated this approach involved N = 55 pre-service chemistry teachers (nintervention group = 23, ncontrol group = 32) and analysed the effects of this intervention on the perceived relevance of academic content knowledge. The results showed that pre-service chemistry teachers evaluate the academic course more likely to be relevant for their future profession already before the intervention took place. Nevertheless, compared to the control, the intervention showed a positive effect on the perceived relevance of academic content knowledge and the overall assessment of this academic course. Examining the explanations for the pre-service teachers’ perceived relevance revealed that they reasoned mainly from a school associated perspective, though their explanations remained at a rather low level.

South East Asia is undergoing massive development in many sectors, so do the education. Good education needs a high quality teacher. SEA Teacher Project is a project held by SEAMEO to revitalize teacher education. Practicum for pre-service teachers plays a big role in the development of teacher in the future. Departing from SEA Teacher Project’s goals, this case study research aimed to explore how the teachers in the practice schools provided analogies and used visual aids in chemistry learning and how were student teachers’ perspectives in chemistry learning. The participants were 4 chemistry pre-service student teachers who experienced this program between 2016 and 2019. This research also explored the issues and challenges in the field to improve chemistry pre-service student teachers’ preparation, the fruitfulness of the program based on pre-service student teachers’ perspective. The results showed that analogies and visual aids are strengthen each other in chemistry learning. The SEA Teacher Project held by 2016 to 2019 has given significant experience of teaching for the participants.

Content knowledge (CK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and, assessment knowledge (AK) are fundamental types of teachers’ knowledge. Second-career, pre-service chemistry teachers leave the industry and return to the Technion to study in theViewsprogram to obtain a high school teaching certificate. Their background can potentially contribute to higher quality of science teaching and learning in general and of chemistry teaching in particular. We investigated how pre-service chemistry teachers’ knowledge develops as they are exposed to chemistry context-based learning, and what differences are there between pre- and in-service teachers’ knowledge types and their self-efficacy. The participants were 25 second-career pre-service teachers and 29 in-service chemistry teachers who served as a comparison group. The teachers’ professional growth was examined by assessing their CK, PCK, AK, and self-efficacy by using three questionnaires that included adapted scientific articles on energy, acid-base, and oxidation-reduction in the context of sustainability. Five expert chemistry teachers validated the questionnaires. We found that all three knowledge types of the pre-service teachers improved during the course and they became more aware of sustainable chemistry issues than the in-service teachers. The study contributes to chemistry education by narrowing the gap that exists in the literature between chemistry teachers’ PCK and AK on the one hand and self-efficacy on the other hand. We offer an assessment tool for identifying and quantifying teachers’ knowledge. We offer recommendations for science educators about the needs, strengths, and weaknesses of pre- and in-service teachers related to teaching sustainable chemistry.

Chemish, as the scientific language of chemistry, is essential for communicating in and understanding chemistry. At the same time, Chemish is one of the major difficulties in teaching and learning chemistry in the school context. Although in recent years the importance of language in general and scientific language in particular has been pointed out and much research has been carried out on these topics, less is known about (pre-service) chemistry teachers’ knowledge of teaching and learning the scientific language in chemistry classes. Thus, the research on Pedagogical Scientific Language Knowledge (PSLK) is missing. As this knowledge is crucial for (future) chemistry teachers to teach chemistry, in our survey, we seek to evaluate the extent of 41 pre-service chemistry teachers’ PSLK. The answers are analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results show that pre-service chemistry teachers’ content knowledge resembles the level of knowledge for higher secondary schools. Likewise, the pre-service chemistry teachers have a lack of incisive pedagogical content knowledge: although recognizing problems within Chemish, the pre-service chemistry teachers hardly address those and do not focus on the characteristics of Chemish while explaining scientific terms. On this basis, implications for further university chemistry teacher education and research will be drawn.

Web 2.0 tools consist of a series of internet-based applications that allow users to create and share content interactively across many different disciplines. In chemistry education, Web 2.0 tools are frequently used because they help concretize concepts that are difficult to grasp at the particle level, provide an interactive learning environment, encourage students to collaborate, and, most importantly, overcome time and space limitations by granting students access to resources from anywhere, at any time. This study focused on pre-service chemistry teachers (PCTs) and aimed to examine their knowledge and experiences with Web 2.0 tools. The study was conducted using a qualitative approach with 62 PCTs during the spring term of the 2023-2024 academic year. Data were collected through open-ended questions and interviews. The findings revealed that more than half of the PCTs had heard of Web 2.0 tools, especially Kahoot, and that they were mostly introduced to these tools through field education courses. When examining their views on the advantages and disadvantages of using Web 2.0 tools, it was found that they suggested fewer disadvantages compared to the advantages. The most commonly mentioned advantage was the tools' facilitation of learning, while the most common disadvantage was the need for technological equipment. Additionally, it was found that they referred to the potential for Web 2.0 tools to cause misconceptions in chemistry education as a possible disadvantage. It is recommended that future research focus on the knowledge and experiences of PCTs, particularly in relation to Web 3.0, which offers artificial intelligence support, and Web 4.0, which includes both artificial intelligence and augmented reality support, especially in the context of chemistry teaching and learning.

The aim of the research is to show the learning of pre-service physics and chemistry teachers in a lesson study about tasks. The research methodology is qualitative and interpretive, with the participation of three pre-service physics and chemistry teachers. The data is collected through interviews and written reflections of the participants. The results show that pre-service teachers learn to identify tasks of different natures, valorizing open and challenging tasks in the development of students’ competences. They also recognized that when students like the task they will become more involved with learning which allows for more meaningful learning in science. Thus, the lesson study in initial training seems to promote the development of professional learning of pre-service physics and chemistry teachers in the Portuguese context. Keywords: lesson study, professional development, science education, pre-service teachers, science tasks.

The approach to conveying curricular content in schools is closely related to the previous experiences of the teacher themself. Using the Q-methodology (Q-set of statements), we mapped the prevailing trends in the preferred methods of delivering content about the atom to pupils. The research tool was applied among 19 pre-service chemistry teachers in the 2 nd year of their master’s degree in chemistry teaching at selected universities in the Czech and Slovak Republics. Specifically, we used an online form through the freely available tool Q-sortware. Our findings about the pre-service chemistry teachers’ higher education, teaching experience in primary and secondary school, and future employment aspirations (teacher, laboratory researcher, etc.) indicated trends that are common among pre-service chemistry teachers, as well as features that differentiate them. In the analysis, we identified four factors comprising 14 pre-service chemistry teachers. Based on their preferences, we saw two dominant methods of conveying content about the atom to pupils, namely the atom as a process and the atom as a product. On this basis, we assumed that the pre-service chemistry teachers would implement either an inductive or deductive approach to teaching.

Fabrication laboratories transform an idea into a tangible product, making it a potential pedagogical tool in chemistry education. This research aimed to explore the potential aspects of the Fabrication Laboratory as a pedagogical tool in terms of existing literature and how pre-service chemistry teachers perceive the opportunities for the Fabrication Laboratory as a pedagogical tool for teaching chemistry to students. The study was conducted using descriptive research. A total of 54 pre-service chemistry teachers from a University in Central Java, Indonesia, were interviewed regarding their perspectives on the opportunities of Fabrication Laboratory to overcome difficulties in chemistry learning. The result showed that the Fabrication Laboratory has the opportunity to be a pedagogical tool for teaching chemistry to students in terms of existing literature and the views of pre-service chemistry teachers. The Fabrication Laboratory has the opportunity to be a pedagogical tool for teaching chemistry in terms of existing literature and the views of pre-service chemistry teachers. Several advantages that make FabLab have the potential as a pedagogical tool, according to pre-service chemistry teachers, include (a) flexibility of printed 3D chemistry media, (b) development creativity, and (c) technological innovation. This research provides implications for the professional development of pre-service chemistry teachers regarding the use of cutting-edge technology such as FabLab, which has a powerful tool for pedagogical transformation, especially for pre-service chemistry teachers in facing the challenges and opportunities of chemistry learning in the 4.0 revolution era.

As pre-service chemistry teachers, particularly in this digital era, it is crucial to understand and develop skills in the TPACK aspects so that they have a good understanding and skills in integrating technology, pedagogy, and content according to their context and function. The understanding of TPACK must be given since they were before becoming teachers. Although the development of TPACK for pre-service teachers is not easy to achieve, it must be done so that the quality of teachers can be even better. Each teacher can have a different TPACK with other teachers. In addition, the variables such as the subject or lesson, gender, and used technologies can also affect the confidence in pre-service teachers’ TPACK. Therefore, this study aims to determine pre-service chemistry teachers’ confidence in their TPACK after completing Microteaching lectures. The microteaching course is specifically designed to prepare students to be ready to teach in schools. Furthermore, this study also measures the impact of the microteaching course on pre-service chemistry teachers’ TPACK. Data were collected using questionnaires, interviews, and reflective journals. This study indicates that, after completing fully online microteaching lectures, pre-service chemistry teachers are very confident about their TPACK. Besides, students also really feel the impact of microteaching lectures on all aspects of their TPACK.