Student‐teachers' Learning Outcomes during Science Subject Matter Courses

Abstract

This paper is about a longitudinal study to investigate how student‐teachers developed understanding of some key ecological concepts during a teacher education programme. Another aim was to interpret the student‐teachers' intentions in respect of the programme and to examine how these intentions influenced their learning. A group of students were followed through 2.5 years of a teacher education programme. The whole student group (n = 47–60) answered a questionnaire three times. Their understanding of scientific concepts, relevant to environmental education, was examined. Fourteen students were interviewed three times about a newspaper article discussing the use of surplus heat from a crematorium. The students were also asked about expectations of the teaching programme and of learning experiences from their science courses and from school practice. It is concluded that many of the student‐teachers did not develop the conceptual understanding necessary to be able to engage with the socio‐scientific issue presented to them. It also concludes that many of the student‐teachers approach the learning of science content from the perspective of their personal notions of the tasks of a primary schoolteacher, which is significantly different from the perspectives underpinning the curriculum and the intention of teacher educators. The connection between these two conclusions is discussed.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Professor John Leach, University of Leeds for reading and for valuable criticism and comments. Also thanks to Professor Joan Bliss for valuable criticism.

Notes

¹Sarek is a national park in Northern Sweden

1. Since 1988 primary schoolteachers in Sweden have been educated to teach science and mathematics or social science and Swedish. Before that they were educated to teach all subjects.

2. This is due to the reorganization of teacher education, which took place in 1988.