Partners in Inquiry: A Collaborative Life Science Investigation with Preservice Teachers and Kindergarten Students

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• 作者：Angela Eckhoff
• 关键词：Early childhood science education ; Inquiry ; based science ; Early childhood teacher education
• 刊名：Early Childhood Education Journal
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：March 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：45
• 期：2
• 页码：219-227
• 全文大小：
• 刊物类别：Humanities, Social Sciences and Law
• 刊物主题：Learning and Instruction; Education, general; Sociology of Education; Sociology, general;
• 出版者：Springer Netherlands
• ISSN：1573-1707
• 卷排序：45

文摘

This article documents a collaborative project involving preservice early childhood education students’ development of inquiry-based learning experiences alongside kindergarten students within a science methods course. To document this project, I utilized a multiple methods approach and data included classroom observations, transcripts from lesson planning sessions, preservice teachers’ reflection journals, kindergarten science journals, and pre- and post-measurements for preservice teachers on the Draw-A-Scientist Test (DAST) (Chambers in Sci Educ 67(2):225–265, 1983) and the Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Inventory—B (STEBI-B) (Enochs and Riggs in Sch Sci Math 90(8):694–706, 1990). Analysis of the DAST, STEBI-B, and qualitative data revealed that the preservice teachers developed stronger understandings of inquiry-based science and self-efficacy beliefs related to their practice following participation in the collaborative project. While development of inquiry understandings and efficacy-related beliefs improved throughout the project, the preservice teachers voiced concerns over the challenges of integrating inquiry instruction within pedagogically restrictive contemporary classroom environments. Additionally, this research strongly suggests the need for early childhood teacher educators to take an active role in the construction of teaching and learning experiences that promote opportunities for preservice teachers to experience the process of developing effective inquiry-based, integrated science experiences within the supportive environment of a teacher education program.