Abstract
The purpose of this study was to describe how US secondary science preservice teachers, or those preparing to teach middle and high school science, at one university, perceive engineering and teaching engineering within an epistemological framework of required domain components pre- and post-instruction (intervention) as well as over three cohort years. Their perceptions reveal relevant prior beliefs helpful for designing instruction to address an external need to prepare secondary science teachers to teach disciplinary content ideas, cross-cutting concepts, and science and engineering practices to meet the Next Generation Science Standards. Questionnaires administered pre- and post-instruction (intervention), as well as over three years, asked participants to decide whether various scenarios qualified as engineering and then to provide reasoning. Intervention instruction included whole-class discussions of engineering design practices. The responses to the questionnaire were analyzed for thematic content. The results indicate that the secondary science preservice teachers (n = 43) have a novice understanding of engineering and teaching engineering. They gain an emerging understanding during the secondary science methods courses, consistent in all three years with expanding perspectives from narrow discipline views. As their perceptions are refined, however, there are risks of oversimplification, which may lead to forming misconceptions. The recommendations for designing instruction such as secondary science methods courses and early career professional development include creating opportunities for preservice and early career teachers to explore and challenge their perceptions of engineering design practices integrated within science and engineering practices.
Highlights
IntroductionWith many states adopting the Generation Science Standards (NGSS) [1], most science teachers need to teach science and engineering practices (SEP) as well as cross-cutting concepts, in addition to disciplinary core ideas and concepts [1]
Science teaching in United States (US) K-12 schools is undergoing a change
This study describes perceptions, based on and priorbeliefs knowledge andrefined beliefs that refined study describes perceptions, based on prior knowledge that are afterare instruction, after that are useful for designing instruction methods andprofessional early inthat are instruction, useful for designing instruction including methodsincluding courses and early courses in-service service professional development for teachers
Summary
With many states adopting the Generation Science Standards (NGSS) [1], most science teachers need to teach science and engineering practices (SEP) as well as cross-cutting concepts, in addition to disciplinary core ideas and concepts [1] This change represents an innovation, something that is new to science teachers [2]. Instructional design ideally begins with a problem that may be solved In this case, the problem is how to effectively prepare secondary science preservice teachers to teach EDP. In this case, the problem is how to effectively prepare secondary science preservice teachers to teach.
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