Shaping Preservice Teachers’ Science Teacher Identity through a Science Museum Internship

Developing science identity in pre-service science teachers is important as it influences their perceptions about science teaching and learning. Pre-service teachers’ science identity can be developed in their specific modules where they obtain content knowledge. Grounded in the notion of pre-service teachers’ learning agendas, and identity development, this paper presents an argument pertaining to how science content modules at one South African university contribute to pre-service teachers’ development of their identities as science teachers. Data were collected through individual interviews with 13 pre-service science teachers and analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis. The findings revealed four categories of aspects that influenced the pre-service science teachers’ identity construction and development. The first is about the nature of the subject matter knowledge taught in the modules. The second is about the context in which this subject matter knowledge is taught. The third concerns how teaching is conducted, and the last comprises the nature of practical work. These findings are discussed, and the implications related to the structure of science content modules in initial science teacher education programs are discussed.

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this mixed-methods research was to investigate changes in preservice elementary teachers’ science teacher identities and self-efficacy beliefs as they participate in a field-based science methods course. A total of 121 preservice teachers participated, four of which were purposefully selected who held varied initial levels of science content preparedness and confidence to teach. Data sources included pre- and post-course administrations of the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument-B, an open-ended questionnaire, two semi-structured interviews with selected participants, written teaching reflections, classroom observations, and artifacts. Data analyses included a pre-post repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) design, and the case study approach. The themes generated by using open and axial coding belonged to Bandura’s sources of self-efficacy and Gee’s identity framework. Results indicated statistically significant gains in participants’ science self-efficacy beliefs. Qualitative analysis revealed that the nature of prior science experiences shaped participants’ self-efficacy and identity uniquely. Findings are summarized under four major themes suggesting ways in which Bandura’s sources of self-efficacy played role in shaping preservice teachers’ identity. Emerging from this study was the close connection between the two constructs- self-efficacy and science teacher identity. The study includes implications for preservice teacher education programs and research.

Teaching English as a second language requires pre-service educators to possess a diverse skill set and adapt to evolving teaching methodologies and language acquisition theories. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the factors that contribute to the development of pre-service English teachers' professional competence to ensure their readiness to enter the teaching profession. This study aims to investigate the factors contributing to the development of pre-service English teachers' professional competence in teaching English, addressing the lack of research in this area. More specifically, it aims to explore the challenges faced by pre-service teachers in developing their professional competence, identify areas where current teacher education programs may fall short, and provide practical recommendations for pre-service teacher training programs. This study employs a descriptive qualitative research method by involving five pre-service English teachers participating in a School Teaching Practice Program. To gather the data, this research uses a reflection section and then analyzedcategorized. The findings highlight the significance of active learning experiences, such as fieldwork and classroom practice, in fostering the development of professional competence among pre-service teachers. Additionally, the study emphasizes the need for pre-service teachers to be adequately prepared to meet the evolving needs of English language learners, especially in the context of changing teaching methodologies and advancements in educational technology.

ABSTRACTSupporting elementary preservice teachers’ development of a science teacher identity provides a way to address challenges of low self-efficacy, self-confidence, and pedagogical content knowledge in science. Meaningful teaching experiences in student teaching placements and field-based science methods courses provide opportunities for preservice teachers to develop their identities as science teachers and deepen their understandings of social justice issues in science. This collective case study examined how the teacher and science teacher identities of three elementary preservice teachers, and their becoming social justice teachers, developed during their first semester of student teaching after taking a one-semester science methods course. The study drew on subject matter teacher identity, positioning theory, and social justice science teacher identity. Preservice teachers' personal identities and histories, university coursework, positioning in their student teaching classrooms, and opportunities to authentically teach were identified as mediating influences on the development of their teacher and science teacher identity, as well as their perceived ability to teach science for social justice. The study has implications for understanding the ways in which student teaching experiences, including how cooperating teachers position student teachers, support or work against reform-oriented science teacher identities developed through university coursework.

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to explore the development of pre-service chemistry teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge regarding the effect of temperature on reaction rate topic as they took pedagogical content knowledge courses throughout the teacher education program. Pre-service teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge was examined under five components: Orientations toward science teaching, Knowledge of curriculum, Knowledge of instructional strategies, Knowledge of learners, and Knowledge of assessment. Two pre-service chemistry teachers participated in the study. Data were collected through a vignette and semi-structured interviews over two years. Analysis of data revealed that both participants’ pedagogical content knowledge components showed development. However, there was an uneven development of components of pedagogical content knowledge. Moreover, the degree and pattern of development were different for some components of pedagogical content knowledge for each participant. The present study has some implications for teacher educators and teacher education programs.

In an increasingly digitalized world, pre-service and in-service teachers need subject-specific didactic competencies to be able to plan their lessons appropriately and use their knowledge to promote digital competencies among students. Building on competency models such as the Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework, this article explores the extent to which specific digital competencies relevant to pre-service teachers can be developed through project work in a pedagogical makerspace and examines the extent to which contextual factors such as technological self-efficacy, motivation and technology acceptance influence the development of pre-service teachers’ TPACK and their intention to use digital media. To this end, 495 pre-service science teachers from both intervention and control groups completed a pre-post digital questionnaire before and after the intervention. The data were used for structural equation modeling. The results show that the level of TPACK before the intervention is an important predictor of TPACK after project work. Furthermore, TPACK before the intervention positively influences pre-service teachers’ intention to use digital media in the future. Also, the perceived usefulness for professional use and the intention to use information and communication technologies (ICT) are strongly influenced by TPACK. Consequently, it appears significant to enable a low-threshold entry point at the beginning of the study to provide a solid foundation upon which more advanced TPACK can be built. Motivation and technology acceptance are strongly correlated. Therefore, teacher training should focus on motivation and acceptance of technology.

In the study, it is aimed to reveal the effects of the practices carried out within the scope of the micro teaching course on the development of pre-service classroom teachers' professional knowledge, content knowledge and general culture-ability and their cognitive perceptions towards the concept of micro teaching. The research was conducted with 26 (14 male and 12 female) pre-service teachers studying at the Faculty of Education, Department of Classroom Education in the 2022-2023 academic year of a state university. Exploratory sequential design from mixed research was used in the study. As data collection tools; Micro Teaching Method Measurement and Evaluation Form (MTMMEF) was used to reveal the effectiveness of micro teaching method through peer evaluations, word association test was used to reveal the cognitive perception of the concept of micro teaching (MTWAT), and semi-structured interview form was used to reveal the views on the concept of micro teaching. While parametric analysis methods were used in the quantitative part of the study, content analysis was used in the qualitative part. According to the findings obtained from the research, it was concluded that micro teaching method had positive effects on the development of pre-service teachers' teaching professional knowledge, content knowledge and general culture-abilities and that they had various opinions about the advantages and disadvantages of micro teaching method. In addition, it was revealed that they had cognitive perceptions about the development of teaching professional knowledge, content knowledge and general culture- abilities, the nature of micro-teaching method, evaluation processes and peer teaching.

Teacher identity is dynamic and continuously evolving, particularly as preservice teachers (PSTs) reconcile past experiences with the expectations of their future roles. For early childhood PSTs, the formation of science teacher identity presents unique challenges, as they must integrate child-centred pedagogies with the demands of teaching science, often in the context of being reading teachers, math teachers, and social studies teachers. While research has explored science teacher identity in middle and high school contexts, less attention has been given to PSTs who aim to teach a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) subject in elementary school. This study investigates how early childhood PSTs participating in a science methods course navigate the complexities of their developing science teacher identity. The research used autobiographies to examine how PSTs described their prior experiences as science learners and how these experiences shape their identity as future science teachers. Findings provide insights into the intersection of personal history, pedagogical approaches, and identity negotiation in shaping science teacher identity within early childhood education.

Teachers’ competences should be shaped from a very early stage of their training (Mâţă, Cmeciu, & Ghiaţău, 2013). For that reason, pre-service teachers are required to get involved in teaching internships and gain professional experience from training programs and workshops. These experiences are assets for these pre-service teachers when they resume teaching positions upon graduation. The present narrative study, therefore, aims to investigate the benefits of international teaching internship, known as South-East Asian Teacher (henceforth SEA-Teacher Program) on Indonesian pre-service English teachers’ identity and competence development. There were four male and four female participants of SEA-Teacher program participated in the study. The data for this study was generated through in-depth semi-structured phone and email interviews. The study reveals that this program has developed personal competences of the pre-service teachers, in which they improve self-confidence, coping mechanisms, and time management skill. The “SEA-Teacher” also improved pre-service teachers’ professional competences, such as development of communicative competence, pedagogical skills, new worldviews on education, career goals and new opportunities. The program also benefited these pre-service teachers’ understanding of different cultures, strengthening global-networking and promoting respect. The findings also indicated that SEA Teachers’ competences need to be further developed. Given the significant relationship between teaching competences and teaching internship at international level, it is necessary to promote the SEA-Teacher personal and professional competence. These competences are advised to be reinforced, with more emphasis on weaker domains.

This research aims to explore the development and use of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) in pre-service secondary mathematics teachers. For this multiple case study, evidence of TPACK in three pre-service secondary mathematics teachers was collected during a 15-week semester, during which the pre-service teachers were enrolled in a three-course experience designed to develop an integrated understanding of the use of technology, pedagogy, and content in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Data were collected using a TPACK survey, teaching philosophy statements, lesson plans, student teaching episodes, and interviews, and researchers assigned levels of enacted TPACK and self-reported TPACK. Analysis highlights that the development of pre-service teachers’ mathematics TPACK is complex, and pre-service teachers’ dispositions about teaching, views of technology, and prior experience in using technology affect their technology use in the classroom. Our results suggest that a model of TPACK development in pre-service teachers is distinct from that used to understand TPACK development among in-service teachers.

The development of pre-service teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) has attracted wide attention among scholars and teacher educators worldwide. However, few studies have explored pre-service teachers' TPACK in the context of teaching contest. To fill the research gap, this study interviewed three pre-service English teachers who participated in competitive teaching contest to uncover the influence of the teaching contest on their TPACK development. Findings suggested their TPACK was greatly developed through observations of role models, instructional design practice, peer collaboration, expert feedback, and self-reflection. Finding of the study enriched people's understanding of TPACK theory and provide valuable suggestions for pre-service teachers, university teacher training programs, and teacher educators to improve pre-service teachers' TPACK.

This thesis contributes to the understanding of an important ongoing issue in mathematics education and adds to the literature on ways to address this issue. The study is located against a social and historical background of issues of exclusion from participation in opportunities that are afforded by competence in mathematics. Mathematics anxiety (maths anxiety) in primary pre-service teachers has been reported in the research literature as an ongoing issue. This anxiety can lead to high levels of stress and poor performance and can impact on confidence and emotional and academic wellbeing. Often, proposed solutions have focussed on how pre-service teachers might better learn mathematics. However, research addressing affect has indicated the need for greater emphasis on understanding their emotional responses and anxieties. This thesis reports a descriptive and interpretive sequential mixed method study within the affective domain which investigated the effectiveness of bibliotherapy to better understand and address maths anxiety. The purpose was to understand the impacts of maths anxiety on the mathematical identity of primary pre-service teachers, and how these impacts might be ameliorated. The study investigated questions concerning the range and extent of maths anxiety in pre-service teachers at the start of their teacher education course, their perceptions of the influences that had stimulated this anxiety, and the effectiveness of bibliotherapy in better understanding and/or addressing maths anxiety in pre-service teachers. Data were collected through quantitative and qualitative methods, using the Revised Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (Alexander & Martray, 1989) to identify the range and extent of participants’ maths anxiety, and the narrative device of Critical Incident Technique (CIT) to investigate the experiences to which they attributed this anxiety. Participants’ views provided their perceptions of their mathematical identity. The study investigated the effectiveness of bibliotherapy in two different contexts, Cognitive bibliotherapy in existing classes and Interactive bibliotherapy in a small-group workshop developed in collaboration with the student counsellor. The study employed a multi-scope analysis which used a range of methods – descriptive and inferential statistics (t-tests, confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses), and analysis of themes identified by the CIT and bibliotherapy in the two different contexts. The study found that pre-service teachers begin their teacher education course with existing levels of maths anxiety, which are largely associated with the negative effects of testing and evaluation. The findings also confirmed the major contribution of former teachers to the development of pre-service teachers’ maths anxiety, drawing attention to the consequences of blame and humiliation reported by participants and to the importance of the concept of pedagogical tact. The study emphasised the benefits of including in this research pre-service teachers who did not identify with maths anxiety in this research. The workshop provided a transformative experience, as participants showed increased understanding and revision of their maths anxiety and identified alternative conceptions of their previous mathematical experiences. Insight was identified as a major factor in the development of participants’ future mathematical identity. This led to evaluations of their future effectiveness as teachers of mathematics, thus illustrating the development of a more positive projective identity. Contributions of the study included the modification of the bibliotherapy stages, development of a key of ideal types for responses and development of a new concept of “biblioperception.” It provided a model for professional collaboration with the student counsellor in the form of the workshop protocol. This thesis argues for a paradigm shift in the way researchers, teacher educators and policy makers view maths anxiety in pre-service teachers. There is a need to identify and celebrate the positive influences that past experiences of maths anxiety can have on evolving more effective teachers in our classrooms, potentially enabling a wider range of students to develop more positive relationships with mathematics. In recognising the potential for pre-service primary teachers’ experiences and understanding of maths anxiety to increase their effectiveness teachers of mathematics, this thesis not only posits a new way of thinking about maths anxiety in pre-service teachers, but also provides insights into how it might be addressed, which would be of interest to both researchers and teacher educators. It also discusses implications and recommendations for future research, education practice and policy.

The current study used mixed methods to research pre-service teachers’ professional identity. Ninety-eight pre-service teachers were investigated and twelve teachers were interviewed in China. The results were as follows: (1) The results of quantitative data showed that compared with before the field teaching practice, pre-service teachers’ professional identity increased after the field teaching practice—specifically, intrinsic value identity increased, and extrinsic value identity did not significantly change; (2) The results of qualitative data validated and elaborated the results of quantitative data in more detail with regard to changes in professional identity. Specifically, compared with before the field teaching practice, intrinsic value identity including work content, work pattern, etc., increased and extrinsic value identity including work environment, income, and social status, etc., did not significantly change after experiencing teaching practice; (3) The results of qualitative data also showed that mentor support at field school promoted the development of pre-service teachers’ professional identity. Moreover, the development of pre-service teachers’ professional identity during field teaching practice further promoted their professional commitment; that is, it promoted their emotional evaluation and belief in the teaching profession. The study discussed these results and proposed solutions and suggestions for future studies.

In recent times, more attention has been directed towards identifying international trends and ‘best’ practice for assessing pre-service teachers’ classroom performance. Previous attempts to assess Oman’s preservice teachers were based on adopting a psychometric/measurement assessment practice, whereby performance was measured by grades. Such an approach, in recent times, has been viewed as being fundamentally flawed in its attempts to measure pre-service teachers’ classroom practices. This is primarily due to its inability to authentically assess teacher’s learning in the classroom setting. Further underpinning this problem, is that Omani pre-service teachers are expected to undertake an International English Language Testing System (commonly referred to as IELTS), as a measurement of their English proficiency. This approach is problematic, in principle, as it is positioned after graduation and therefore forms no connection to the pre-service teachers’ school experience nor does it add to quality teaching and assessment. This recent shift in thinking, as to the idea that educational assessment should be based on psychometric measurements and grades, has evolved into assessment practices which encourage the integration of assessment into the learning and teaching environment. This thesis is concerned with how the pre-service English Language teacher’s classroom performance is assessed in Oman. Drawing on the work of Gipps (1999, 2002), this thesis adopted a sociocultural perspective to investigate the phenomenon of assessment practices associated with evaluating pre-service teacher’s classroom performance during school-based professional experience (also known as teaching practicum). Understanding assessment practices from a sociocultural perspective and its current practices such as authentic assessment and Assessment for Learning (AfL) assists pre-service teachers to learn so as to become professional, qualified teachers. To achieve the aims of this study, the thesis adopted a qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology approach to investigate the assessment phenomenon and to gain a deep understanding from the key stakeholders involved in the phenomenon. To enable this, the data collected from three higher education institutions, namely Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), Rustaq-College of Applied Sciences (CAS) and Nizwa University and their participating schools. A range of different data sources obtained: assessment texts which position pre-service English Language teachers; three-series of interviews with the different stakeholders: three pre-service teachers, three cooperating teachers and four university supervisors to reveal their experiences; and observing the phenomenon in situ to triangulate with the aforementioned data. Implementing hermeneutic phenomenology, the obtained data analysed using two approaches: Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) so that the existing practices for assessing pre-service English language teachers’ classroom performance in Oman were captured. The analyses revealed that each institution has its assessment practices influenced by its socio-political structure, yet SQU, unlike Rustaq-CAS and Nizwa University, is distinguished in relation to its pre-determined set of professional standards for graduating teachers; explicit assessment criteria that are shared and discussed with pre-service teachers; collaboration between all stakeholders in the assessment process; a clearly defined role for the cooperating teacher as mentor; effective feedback provided to the pre-service teacher; using portfolios to record and document the pre-service teachers achievements; and effective self- and peer-assessment strategies. These practices are mostly experienced by stakeholders at SQU due to its international accreditation under the influence of the standards based on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). The findings suggest that SQU assessment practices are more aligned with the indicators of international best practice, compared to that of Rustaq-CAS and Nizwa University. Similarly, SQU had a better understanding of assessment practices from a sociocultural perspective. This means that within the context of assessing pre-service teachers’ classroom performance in Oman, the findings are not about each higher education institution but about producing quality teacher graduates by reforming the Omani assessment practices. Having SQU as a model in Oman, the key recommendations for policy and practice from this study are to: 1) set a national professional standards for teachers; 2) have explicit assessment criteria that align with the professional standards; 3) share the assessment criteria for success between all stakeholders in the phenomenon; 4) strengthen the collaboration between schools and universities as well as university supervisors and cooperating teachers,5) make the role of the portfolio more explicit in terms of monitoring and enhancing pre-service teacher development and learning; 6) empower the cooperating teacher to provide a more meaningful mentoring role to pre-service teachers; 7) provide explicit training in effective peer and self-assessment strategies for pre-service teachers in the classroom context and 8) provide explicit training in understanding and delivering quality feedback on classroom performance for all stakeholders.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) is the necessary professional knowledge for teachers and an important feature to distinguish teachers from scholars. The development of pre-service teachers’ PCK affects the quality of education. What are the aspects of the PCK of English pre-service teachers improved through educational practice? What are the influencing factors? To improve pre-service English teachers better understand the importance of educational practice, promote the development of professional knowledge and teaching competence, a questionnaire survey was used to study the development of PCK of pre-service English teachers, analyzed the development and the changes of pre-service teachers’ PCK in the educational practice. Pre-service English teachers have developed in the aspects of knowledge of pedagogical, knowledge of students, knowledge of subject matter, knowledge of environmental contexts. And the influencing factors mainly included communication with peers, experienced teachers; teaching experience and reflection; and personal observation. It indicates that the normal universities should carry out more practical courses, and demonstrates that pre-service teachers should pay more attention to educational practice, accumulate teaching experience, improve teaching quality and teaching competence, and strive to become an excellent and qualified teacher.