The conflict within the role : a longitudinal study of preschool student teachers' developing competence in and attitudes towards science teaching in relation to developing a professional role

• The aim of this exploratory, longitudinal study was to describe an overall picture ofhow perceptions of the teacher role and attitudes toward science and science teachingdevelop and interact during preschool teacher education, and how this in turn influencesbehavior when students are engaged in teaching science. Sixty-five students enrolled in apreschool teacher education program at a Swedish university were followed throughouttheir teacher education. The study used a phenomenographic approach within a theoreticalframework of sociocultural and situated learning perspective. Questionnaires withopen and closed questions were combined with interviews. The results show that in spiteof growing competence and confidence, many of the students still found science activitiesto be awkward in preschool, mainly due to a wish to protect the children from schoolculture. The results have implications for teacher education and the preschool community,showing a need to problematize the purpose of teaching science in preschool andthe meaning of pedagogical content knowledge in this context.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Didaktik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Didactics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

preschool

science

teacher education

förskola

naturvetenskap

lärarutbildning

Education

Pedagogik

didactics of natural science

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)