Pre-service Biology Teachers’ Perceptions on the Instruction of Socio-scientific Issues in the Curriculum
Source: European Journal of Teacher Education, Volume 35, Issue 1, 2012, pages 111-129
This paper represents a preliminary attempt to address the role of teachers in supporting students’ learning on socio-scientific issues (SSI) by characterising pre-service biology teachers’ perceptions and adaptation of curriculum and identifying factors that serve to mediate this process.
A hundred and two undergraduate pre-service biology teachers took part in this study over the course of one semester.
The teacher candidates completed a questionnaire comprising Likert-type and open-ended questions.
The results indicated that the teacher candidates perceived a need to address SSI positively. Pre-service teachers had moderate personal teaching efficacy beliefs related to teaching about SSI.
The pre-service teachers also identified the lack of instructional time and the unavailability of relevant materials as the primary obstacles hindering the teaching of SSI.