Comparing Time Allocation for Teaching Science as Inquiry in Two Educator Preparation Science Methods Courses

Abstract

How much time an institution allocates to content can indicate its overall importance and intended value to the educator preparation program. For decades there have been calls to integrate more authentic science inquiry experiences into not only undergraduate elementary science courses, but into all elementary educator preparation courses. Many elementary educators do not receive training on effective methods for teaching science, they will not feel comfortable and will likely have low self-efficacy. This study investigated the amount of time allocated to teaching science as inquiry and the knowledge participants had prior to and after taking an elementary teaching science me-thods course. The critical incidents within two science methods courses that assisted participants in developing a deeper understanding of teaching science as inquiry were also analyzed. Over three academic semesters, a purposive sample of 58 college pre-service teacher candidate participants from the mid-Atlantic region of the United States were surveyed to answer the research question to what extent, if any, does time allocation have on teacher candidates’ understanding of teaching science as inquiry? Results suggest it would be of great benefit for educator preparation programs to require a science teaching methods course, with an emphasis on the teaching of science as inquiry. Participants indicated the most useful critical incidents were labs, more assignments that require lesson/unit planning, and teaching lessons to elementary students.