The Challenge to Link Biology, Chemistry, and Physics: Results of a Longitudinal Study on Self-Rated Content Knowledge

Abstract

Interdisciplinary science teaching in (lower) secondary education can lead to out-of-field teaching in countries with a discipline-specific teacher education. For example, the discipline-specific teacher education in Germany does not fit the current demands of interdisciplinary science teaching, especially in comprehensive schools. Self-rated content knowledge (srCK)—a specific part of academic self-concept—of (prospective) teachers is important in the context of motivational orientations and due to the reciprocal relation of academic self-concept and performance. Previous research did not focus on the long-term development of core idea-based srCK regarding secondary education. Thus, we surveyed 271 (prospective) teachers of biology, chemistry, and physics three times (2019–2021). In addition, we surveyed seven chemistry and physics pre-service teachers participating in a biology content knowledge (CK) course. Taking into account measurement invariance, we used structural equation modeling and latent change models. The srCK of biology, chemistry, and physics showed a high relative and absolute stability. We did not find any correlation between srCK of biology and chemistry. SrCK of chemistry and physics always showed a small positive correlation. SrCK of biology and physics always had a strong negative correlation. Supporting these results, studying physics had a negative effect on the srCK of biology, and studying chemistry had a positive effect on the srCK of physics. Additionally, studying the subject of the srCK in question always had a strong positive effect. Though srCK seems to be time-stable, a biology CK course for pre-service chemistry and physics teachers showed strong positive changes in their srCK of biology. Thus, training in an unstudied subject could help to cope with the undesired time-stability of srCK. In addition, the strong negative correlation between the srCK of biology and of physics needs to be addressed in teacher education.

Hambatan Guru terhadap Penerapan Standar Penilaian Evaluasi Pendidikan Ranah Afektif di Pesantren Mutiara Quran Pracimantoro

“…Mengoptimalkan pendidikan guru memerlukan pengetahuan tentang prasyarat mahasiswa calon guru. Selain pengetahuan situasional dan konseptual, pengetahuan prosedural (yang mengandung strategi solusi) menarik perhatian khusus, tetapi jauh lebih sulit untuk diukur [11]. Menurut Raja Hulan (2022), guru mengalami hambatan berupa kurangnya pengetahuan dan pemahaman tentang penilaian sikap, salah satunya adalah kurangnya sosialisasi atau seminar tentang masalah ini.…”

Self-Efficacy Beliefs as well as Perceived Advantages and Challenges of Interdisciplinary Science Teaching from a Longitudinal Perspective

“…Our longitudinal study started in the winter semester of 2019 at nine German universities (online) and was repeated with the same cohort in the winter semesters of 2020 and 2021 [50]. Thus, we surveyed a span of two years of teacher education in our study.…”

“…Thus, we surveyed a span of two years of teacher education in our study. In addition to the study participants from the nine universities, we asked 90 study participants of a previous study to participate in our longitudinal study now [50]. However, we are not able to say how many of these 90 requested previous study participants were part of our present longitudinal study.…”

“…The allocation of the data from the previous study to the present longitudinal data was not allowed, since this was not part of the research purpose in the informed consent of the previous study. Thus, there are some trainee teachers at time point 1 as well [50]. We used the same sample and study as in Handtke and Bögeholz [50] regarding the analyses of self-rated content knowledge.…”

“…Thus, there are some trainee teachers at time point 1 as well [50]. We used the same sample and study as in Handtke and Bögeholz [50] regarding the analyses of self-rated content knowledge. Thus, the description of the study design and the sample are very similar.…”