Preparing early childhood preservice teachers for science teaching: aligning across a teacher preparation program

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn early childhood education and early childhood teacher preparation, science is often a challenging academic content area. However, young children are primed for science learning, and early science learning is important for later science achievement. The current study presents an embedded case study of one early childhood teacher preparation program that undertook a process of infusing and aligning science teaching preparation across a curriculum preparing preservice teachers to work with children ranging in age from birth through third grade. Major themes fell into the three categories—motivation for change; the process of improving and aligning across a program; and science attitudes, beliefs, and experiences in the midst of change. Implications are discussed in terms of improving preparation for teaching early science and aligning across courses in early childhood teacher preparation.