Abstract
Teachers are viewed as the most significant factor affecting student learning. However, research in science education showed that teachers often demonstrate misunderstandings of science very similar to students. The purpose of this research was to correct conceptual difficulties in science of Thai primary school science and non-science teachers using inductive learning activities in a teacher training program. An eighteen hour teacher training program was designed to address conceptual difficulties in science based on research findings of three science concepts including force and motion, simple electric DC circuits, and astronomy. A pre- and post-test with 15 multiple-choice questions for each of those concepts were administered to thirty volunteer primary school science and non-science teachers in 2014. Data was entered into Excel and analyzed for a correct percentage for each question. There were overall gains in understanding between the pre- and post-tests for these three concepts when teachers were taught by inductive methods. It suggests that using inductive learning activities can be used as a meaningful teacher training program for science and non-science teachers to correct conceptual difficulties in science.
Highlights
One of the best-known statements for American Education in the 21st Century of the American Commission on Teacher Education is that “The quality of a nation depends upon the quality of its citizens
The study aimed to study the effectiveness of using inductive learning in a teacher training program to correct the conceptual difficulties in science of Thai science and non-science teachers
The common misconceptions in force and motion for the primary science and non-science teacher are: force is proportional to velocity of motion; the moving object exerts more force than the stationary object; gravitational force exerts on the object only when it moves down, but while it is on the way up, the force is from a person’s hand
Summary
One of the best-known statements for American Education in the 21st Century of the American Commission on Teacher Education is that “The quality of a nation depends upon the quality of its citizens. It is widely agreed that students’ achievements are based on the teachers’ knowledge and capabilities in teaching, in the other words, one of the most important factors affecting student achievement is highly qualified teachers [2][3]. Teacher education reform is one of the most important agenda items of almost every country in the world. Many of the current reforms promote the professional development of highly qualified teachers. This is one of the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). A highly qualified teacher is one who has demonstrated subject matter knowledge and teaching skill in each assigned core academic subject area [4]. Thailand has undergone many education reforms and changes, which have directly changed teacher education programs
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