Inquiry science learning and teaching: A comparison between the conceptions and attitudes of pre-service elementary teachers in Hong Kong and the United States

Inquiry science learning and teaching: A comparison between the conceptions and attitudes of pre-service elementary teachers in Hong Kong and the United States

• Lee, Yeung Chung The Education University of Hong Kong
• Lee, Carole Kwan Ping University of Maine at Farmington, USA
• Lam, Chung Man Irene Education Bureau, Hong Kong
• Kwok, Ping Wai The Education University of Hong Kong
• So, Wing Mui Winnie The Education University of Hong Kong

Research in Science Education, 2018

Springer Netherlands

2018

• G Curriculum, Teaching & Learning: Specific Disciplines
  • GD Science & Technology
• M Teachers & Education for Teachers
  • MA Professional Education for Teachers
• P Social Context of Education
  • PB Comparative Education

Inquiry Science Science Methods Course Sociocultural Context Elementary Teachers Professional Development

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Unknown or Unspecified

International studies of science education, such as the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), have revealed considerable national disparities in students' achievements in science education. The results have prompted many nations to compare their science education systems and practices to those of others, to gain insights for improvement. Teacher training and professional development are key educational components that have not attracted as much attention as they deserve in international comparative studies. This study compares the conceptions and attitudes of pre-service elementary teachers (PSETs) in Hong Kong and the United States with respect to inquiry science learning and teaching at the beginning of the semester before the start of the science methods course. PSETs' conceptions and attitudes in the two countries were compared by means of a questionnaire with both Likert-type and open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed through the systematic categorization of PSETs' responses into broad themes and subthemes to reflect patterns in their conceptions of and attitudes toward inquiry science learning and teaching. The results revealed a complex interplay between PSETs' conceptions of and attitudes toward inquiry science learning and teaching. The results shed light on the effects of sociocultural contexts and have important implications for the design of science methods courses.
[Copyright © 2018 Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature.]

• English

Journal Articles

• 0157244X

• 10.1007/s11165-017-9687-2

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/8d7b6368

2018-04-16