Abstract
The study aimed to investigate pre-service early childhood teachers’ (PSTs) collective pedagogical content knowledge (cPCK) and personal pedagogical content knowledge (pPCK) on the knowledge used in scientific process (SP) through the content representation (CoRe) design, interview, and knowledge used in scientific process (KSP) forms. The data were collected from 36 sophomore PSTs’ with a case study design. At the beginning of the data collection process, the PSTs’ prior knowledge used in SP was determined individually through a pre-interview and the KSP form. At the conclusion of the 13-week science-focused course, post-interviews, the KSP form, and the CoRe form were applied again. The CoRe forms were filled collectively based on their science activities, which were designed at the end of the science course. The PCK developed by Magnusson et al. was used for data analysis and to decide on the main themes of the data. The study’s findings revealed that the PSTs initially had some misconceptions relating to knowledge of SP. While the participants were confused about the knowledge used in SP and made incorrect definitions prior to the science-focused course, nearly all of the PSTs’ conception were changed on all of the concepts used in SP and reflected the most confused skills (especially observing and measuring) to their teaching plans after the course. Therefore, their pPCK and cPCK development were supported by both the science-focused course and collaborative CoRe design. The findings of the study have important implications for government policies and teacher training programs.
Highlights
The importance of teaching science to children through developmentally appropriate science experiences and supporting early childhood teachers’ professional development in teaching science is becoming increasingly recognized
To respond to the needs on developing early childhood teachers’ science content knowledge used in scientific process (SP) and how this knowledge is represented in their teaching plans, this study aims to provide valuable information on pre-service early childhood teachers’ (PSTs)’ development of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) on the knowledge used in SP
This study aimed to investigate the development of the PSTs’ personal pedagogical content knowledge (pPCK) and collective pedagogical content knowledge (cPCK) on the knowledge used in SP by using a qualitative approach, which is one of the most appropriate ways of finding out what individuals know and what they think (Fraenkel et al, 2012)
Summary
The importance of teaching science to children through developmentally appropriate science experiences and supporting early childhood teachers’ professional development in teaching science is becoming increasingly recognized. The driving force behind it is that children have a great potential to learn science concepts during early childhood years As it is understood how important it is to provide science education to children at younger ages, a number of studies have been conducted to understand children’s concept development. One argument suggests that children’s early exposure to science knowledge can enhance the development of science concepts and scientific thinking later (Andersson & Gullberg, 2012). This notion is supported in Eshach and Fried (2005)’s study, which showed that children enjoy thinking, observing, and exploring the environment around them and reported that they develop a positive attitude toward science and can better understand scientific information in the future when they are exposed to science at an early age.
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