Pre-service science education students’ epistemological beliefs about the nature of science and science teaching and learning
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Date
2015
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University of Zululand
Abstract
This study set out to investigate beliefs held by pre service Bachelor of Education (B.Ed)
students about the nature of science and science teaching and learning. The research
sample comprised one hundred and eighty four (184) third and fourth year (B.Ed) students majoring in mathematics and physical sciences. Data on students’ epistemological beliefs about the nature of science and science teaching and Learning were collected using two questionnaires: The Nature of Science as Argument Questionnaire (NSAAQ) and Beliefs About Reformed Science Teaching and Learning (BARSTL). Furthermore the study sought to find out if those beliefs cohered with the beliefs espoused by the National Curriculum
Statement (NCS) for Physical Sciences grades 10-12.
The conceptual framework of this study was framed upon the preponderance of literature
that carried the view that a teacher’s classroom practices are a consequence of two main
dialectic influences: (a) the teacher’s epistemological beliefs about the nature of science,
which may be either naïve or sophisticated; and (b) the teacher’s beliefs about teaching and learning, which may be either traditional or reformed. Accordingly, the conceptual
framework guiding the study opined that teachers holding naïve beliefs about the nature of
science, and those holding traditional notions of teaching and learning will be characterized by teacher-centred instructional approaches, while those holding sophisticated beliefs of the nature of science and a reformed view of teaching and learning will be associated with learner-centred instructional approaches.
This study was a case study conducted at a South African university, and involved one
hundred and eighty-four third and fourth year students registered for a four-year Bachelor
of Education (B.Ed) degree for the Senior and Further Education and Training phase. During these two final years of the programme students are engaged in science enquiry practices in their Methods modules. The participants were registered in physical science and mathematics education. Intact groups were used, so there was no sampling undertaken to select participants. Data were collected by the use of (a) the Nature of Science as Argument Questionnaire (NSAAQ), to determine epistemological beliefs held by the participants about the nature of science, as well as the concurrence of those beliefs with the views about science teaching and learning espoused by the NCS; and (b) the Beliefs about Reformed Science Teaching and Learning (BARSTL) questionnaire, to determine the beliefs held by preservice education students about science teaching and learning. Data analysis involved the use of both descriptive statistical methods to decipher patterns and general trends regarding the epistemological beliefs about science held by participants, and their beliefs about science teaching and learning, as well as inferential statistics to test both a priori and a posteriori hypotheses. Similarly, statistical analysis was carried out to determine whether or not third- and fourth-year pre-service science education students held beliefs about science teaching and learning that were in agreement with the pedagogical content beliefs about science teaching and learning espoused by the NCS.
The study found that pre service students held significantly more sophisticated
epistemological beliefs about the nature of science at fourth year than at third year level.
The results also showed that fourth year students demonstrated a significantly higher level
of ‘reformed oriented teaching and learning beliefs’ about science than did the third year
students. The results however showed that third and fourth year students held beliefs that
were not in line with the beliefs espoused by the National Curriculum Statement (NCS).
These results support studies which have found that student teachers become more
sophisticated in their epistemological beliefs towards graduation. The findings also showed
that the B.Ed programme is succeeding in developing both epistemological beliefs about the nature of science and teaching and learning. The degree to which the programme
succeeded in developing these beliefs was however quite small. This study recommends
that further investigations be done to determine whether students who hold sophisticated
epistemological beliefs about the nature of science and ‘reformed beliefs about science
teaching and learning’ also demonstrate superior science teaching skills
Description
Submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE EDUCATION in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology (MSTE) at the University of Zululand, 2015.
Keywords
science, teaching, learning, mathematics, physical science, epistemological beliefs