Teaching concerns, self-efficacy beliefs and constructivist learning environment of pre-service science teachers: a modelling study

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to reveal the relationships among teaching concerns, their sense of efficacy and their preferences of a classroom environment of pre-service science teachers. Data were gathered from 623 pre-service science teachers. Based on the structural equation modelling results, the pre-service science teachers’ sense of self-efficacy was negatively associated with their concerns. In addition, the pre-service science teachers’ sense of efficacy was positively associated with the constructivist learning environment. Moreover, pre-service science teachers’ concerns were positively related to their constructivist learning environment. The findings shed light on pre-service teacher and teacher education experiences and outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Pre-service science teachers
• teaching concern
• self-efficacy beliefs
• constructivist learning environment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yezdan Boz

Yezdan Boz is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the Middle East Technical University, Turkey. Her research interests involve chemistry education and teacher education.

Ayla Cetin-Dindar is an associate professor at the Bartin University, Turkey. Her current research interests in science and chemistry education are conceptual understanding, motivation to learn, teacher education, and teachers’ usage of ICT.