Didactics of Physics - Projects

An explorative study on science student teachers' and experienced science teachers' beliefs about science teaching in Jordan

Teachers practice is influenced by a variety of factors, including their knowledge, social structures, physical structures, cultural norms, epistemological orientations, etc. A very special factor which repeatedly has been described as of great importance is set up by the teachersâ?? beliefs about different aspects of their profession (Fischler, 1999; Hancock and Gallard, 2004). Teachersâ?? beliefs are considered to be a filter through which any action of the teacher pass. Thus the teachers' beliefs strongly will influence their behavior. Therefore, student teachers' and teachers' beliefs regarding any kind of their prospective or actual profession are an important field to be researched to better understand teachersâ?? action in class and their learning and professional development (Battista, 1994; Haney et al, 1996; Posnans, 1997; Tobins, Tippins&Gallard, 1994; in Fetters et al, 2002). This means if we want to improve the quality of science teaching through the teachersâ?? action we have to target their beliefs and consider them in research, in teacher education and in in-service training programs (Fischler, 1999, Markic & Eilks, 2008). In this study, we will investigate the domain-specific beliefs of in-service and pre-service Jordanian science teachers on science teaching. We will focus on different aspects. Among these aspects there will be sub-studies to investigate student teachersâ?? and teachersâ?? beliefs regarding the teaching style and classroom organization, about the teachersâ?? view on teaching objectives, beliefs about the emphasis of the curriculum, and on their epistemological beliefs. Research questions of the study are: -What beliefs do science student teachers and in-service science teachers have about science teaching and learning in Jordan? -What are the differences in the beliefs present in both inservice and preservice teachers? - Is there a common framework to characterize the beliefs of science student teachers and in-service science teachers in Jordan which may allow a comparison of these beliefs with those evaluated in other countries?