Turkish Prospective Chemistry Teachers' Beliefs about Chemistry Teaching

• Published in: International journal of science education Vol. 28; no. 14; pp. 1647 - 1667
• Main Authors: Boz, Yezdan, Uzuntiryaki, Esen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 17-11-2006
• Subjects: Chemistry; Constructivism (Learning); Conventional Instruction; Cooperative Learning; Foreign Countries; Science Instruction; Science Laboratories; Secondary School Science; Structured Interviews; Student Evaluation; Student Role; Student Teacher Attitudes; Student Teachers; Teacher Role; Teacher Student Relationship; Teaching Methods; Turkey; Turkey
• ISSN: 0950-0693
• DOI: 10.1080/09500690500439132

In order to study the beliefs of Turkish prospective chemistry teachers about teaching chemistry, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 prospective teachers. Analysis of the interviews revealed that most of the prospective teachers held intermediate (transition between constructivist and traditional) beliefs about chemistry teaching. Most of the student teachers exhibited inconsistencies in their beliefs about teaching chemistry. The findings indicate the complexity of the teachers' belief systems and imply the significance of identifying prospective teachers' beliefs for the design of teacher education programs. (Contains 1 figure.)