Relations between science teaching efficacy beliefs and teaching strategies used by 164 primary school teachers were investigated by the authors via a questionnaire survey. Results suggested that more than 50% of the teachers have spent their science lessons mainly based on text books, and 62.5% rarely or never conducted group experiments for students.

This paper sets out to analyze the official curriculum for science teaching and learning in Hong Kong primary schools. Curricular content of the suggested pedagogues and science subject-matter in previous Primary Science and the General Studies syllabus is analyzed. A survey study of practicing primary school teachers to reflect on the implemented science curriculum in terms of current practice of science pedagogy in Hong Kong primary schools is then reported.

The author reports that science and non-science elective teachers, representing different level of subject expertise, were studied. Teachers were interviewed on how they planned a primary science lesson. Interview protocols were analyzed by using the Taxonomy of Observed Teacher Thinking which assessed the quality of teacher thinking as reflected by cognitive complexity. The planned lessons were observed and then evaluated with the Configuration Checklist. The author notes that marked differences were observed in teacher thinking during lesson planning, in structural complexity of teacher thinking, and in teachers' pedagogical content beliefs.