University instructors’ orientations to teaching science

Abstract

ABSTRACT Orientation is a component of pedagogical content knowledge and represents a general view of teaching and learning science. Science instructors hold orientations to teaching science teachers and orientation can be illustrated by an instructor’s purposes and goals for instruction. Due to the central role of the instructors in preparing qualified teachers, this study examines orientations of five university instructors to teaching science in the education department of a state university. Observations and interviews were used for data collecting and the data were analysed deductively. Findings showed that the participants had multiple orientations and displayed mainly academic rigour and inquiry/guided inquiry orientations, but not the discovery, project based and activity driven ones. It was seen that instructors developed research-based orientation types of academic rigour and conceptual change focusing on students’ gain of content knowledge, and reform/curriculum-based orientations of inquiry, guided inquiry and process. The study indicated that orientations to teaching science of instructors especially from the new generation had partially been transformed in the direction of the educational reforms. Professional development activities with participation of instructors holding student centred orientations would contribute to increasing knowledge and changing beliefs/practices of more experienced instructors.