No abstract

Science teachers communicate curricula goals to their students, prepare teaching situations and lead their students through them in order to learn science. The purpose of this study was to identify the beliefs of teachers about teaching and learning, specifically, what the teachers focus on, how they comprehend knowledge and their role in the process of learning since they can promote or hold back development of scientific literacy. Q methodology was used to investigate the beliefs of 65 science teachers by having them rank and sort a series of 51 statements. Factor analysis was used to identify identical patterns. The analysis showed that the teachers held four types of dominant beliefs about the effectiveness of science instruction and some common feature which have potential to influence educational process. Teachers concentrate on covering the content even if they declare the importance of personal construction, feel responsible for students’ learning and its outcomes. Despite stressing the activity of the students, the teachers did not emphasize particular science process skills and scaffolding process. The findings of the study suggest that systematic trainings focused on the nature of science and the scaffolding process would be beneficial for teachers in all identified factors.

Today, science education demands preparation of scientifically literate people, emphasizing more the process of working with information than owning it. Such a task requires a deep understanding of pedagogical content knowledge by science teachers. This study focuses on revealing the beliefs of prospective chemistry teachers during their teaching preparation in order for them to be confronted and potentially changed. We focused on determining (a) how prospective chemistry teachers comprehend learning, (b) what they target for modification in students’ learning, (c) how they comprehend knowledge, and (d) how they see their role in science education. Q methodology was used to investigate the beliefs of 69 chemistry teacher candidates at all levels of teaching preparation having them rank and sort a series of 51 statements. The analysis showed three types of beliefs concerning science education: (1) active students do inquiry based on a constructivist approach (believed by more experienced and older preservice chemistry teachers), (2) the importance of learning facts and laws by exploring them, and (3) knowledge is the transfer of knowledge from a reliable source to the learner, a transmissive perspective predominantly held by the youngest preservice chemistry teachers. Based on the results, the study identifies particular issues which educators need to be aware of during preservice, preparation studies.

This article describes a collaboration between two universities in the preparation of future chemistry teachers. The Trnava University in Trnava and the University of Ostrava have organized a joint cross-border webinar aimed at developing skills for scientific work. Mixed teams of students from both universities prepared their own research projects, which they presented to all participants at the end of the event. As a result of the cooperation, inspirational materials for pedagogical practice were prepared and networks were established.

Kurikulárne dokumenty zdôrazňujú dôležitosť poznania prírodovedných konceptov i rozvoja spôsobilostí vedeckej práce (SVP) ako nástrojov potrebných na zmysluplné porozumenie vedeckým konceptom. Zdá sa, že dôležitú úlohu v tomto procese zohráva výskumne ladený prístup k prírodovednému vzdelávaniu. Cieľom nášho výskumného šetrenia bolo zistiť vplyv takto upraveného prírodovedného obsahu na rozvoj SVP žiakov, ktorí nemali žiadnu predchádzajúcu skúsenosť s vyššie uvedeným spôsobom učenia sa (experimentálna skupina) a výsledky porovnať s úrovňou SVP žiakov, ktorí používali tradičný materiál (učebnice) a v našom vzdelávacom kontexte stále dominantné deduktívne na učiteľa orientované vyučovanie (kontrolná skupina). Výskumu sa zúčastnilo 80 žiakov ôsmeho ročníka základnej školy. Analyzovali sme pracovné záznamy žiakov experimentálnej skupiny. Po intervencii obe skupiny absolvovali test s konceptuálnymi úlohami mapujúcimi úroveň SVP. Výsledky ukázali výrazný vplyv výskumne ladeného prístupu na rozvoj SVP žiakov, predovšetkým tých, ktoré dosahovali na začiatku veľmi nízku úspešnosť, a to spôsobilosti navrhovať postupy na overenie formulovanej hypotézy a spôsobilosti usudzovať. Identifikovali sme tiež spoločné charakteristiky problematických SVP. Zistenia prispievajú do diskusie o opodstatnenosti investovania do procesuálnej stránky prírodovedného vzdelávania.