POTENTIAL CHANGES IN PROSPECTIVE CHEMISTRY TEACHERS’ BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING AND LEARNING—A CROSS-LEVEL STUDY

Abstract

This paper presents a cross-level study of German student teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning chemistry. It covers different stages of their teacher training program. The study is based upon drawings of teaching situations, which were analyzed using an evaluation pattern developed using grounded theory. The qualitative scales analyze beliefs about classroom organization, teaching objectives, and epistemological beliefs. Data were collected from university freshmen, student teachers midway through their university teacher education program, and recently graduated teachers who had just finished their university program and are gaining experience as full-time teachers. The initial results reveal that the freshmen in our study profess very traditional beliefs about teaching and learning (characterized by teacher-centeredness and an understanding of learning as receptive consumption). The other two groups of trainees hold more modern beliefs about teaching and learning, which are in line with modern educational theory. Comparing the latter two groups shows that the student teachers midway through training appear to have the most modern teaching beliefs. Implications for teacher education will be addressed.