“It Changed Continuously, and I Don’t Know When”: Thai Preservice Biology Teachers’ Orientations to Teaching Science

Abstract

This research examines changes in orientations to teaching science among 37 preservice biology teachers, who primarily intend to work in secondary education, during a 5-year program of science teacher education in Thailand. Data were collected twice, in the first and fourth years of the program, using the same Pedagogy of Science Teaching Test, in which participants quantitatively chose their preferred approaches to instruction, while qualitatively providing the reasons for choosing these instructional approaches in a written format. Quantitative data were analyzed using inferential statistics, whereas qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. The results indicate that participants’ orientations toward inquiry-based instruction improved, primarily due to their understanding of the nature of students’ learning. This result supports the idea that conceptions relating to students’ learning are critical in shaping orientations toward teaching science. Experiences that reinforced inquiry-based orientations to teaching science are discussed based on follow-up interviews with the five participants with the highest improvements.