Science Words and Explanations: What do Student Teachers Think They Mean?
The purpose of this study was to examine pre-service first-year primary teachers’ perceptions about teaching science and words used in primary science. The study utilised a questionnaire to examine their perceptions before they had received any formal science education training at the tertiary level. Perceptions of their self-competence to teach primary science correlated with their perceptions to explain selected words used in primary science. Similar correlations existed between their explained meanings of these words and their ability to explain selected phenomena. There was a weaker correlation between their perceived ability and actual performance. Interviews were used to explore their perceptions, understandings and explanations. The interviews and written responses showed that students who utilised more appropriate use of genres were more likely to provide adequate explanations of natural phenomena. Finally, areas of greatest assistance in developing students’ further understanding of science were identified.
