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Confronting assumptions, biases, and stereotypes in preservice teachers' conceptualizations of science teaching through the use of book club
Author(s) -
Mensah Felicia Moore
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of research in science teaching
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.067
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1098-2736
pISSN - 0022-4308
DOI - 10.1002/tea.20299
Subject(s) - club , pedagogy , mathematics education , multiculturalism , multicultural education , teacher education , ethnography , science education , psychology , sociology , diversity (politics) , qualitative research , social science , medicine , anthropology , anatomy
This study focuses on the structure and theoretical foundations of the book club for promoting multicultural understandings in science teacher education. The book club was defined as an informal, peer‐directed group discussion that met regularly to discuss an ethnographic, multicultural text regarding issues pertinent to science teaching and learning in urban classrooms. Twenty‐three preservice teachers (PSTs) enrolled in a 16‐week elementary science methods course at a large urban university participated in the study. From the qualitative analyses of PSTs' written reflections and researcher journal notes, five themes which emphasize Individual , Collaborative , and Collective learning are presented. These findings highlight how the book club structure and theoretical foundation fostered critical, reflective inquiry and served as a method for effecting ideological change which is needed in order to embrace issues of diversity in urban science education. Implications for science teacher education concerning the relevancy of pedagogical strategies, the use of multiple theoretical perspectives, and the book club as a strategy in teacher education and urban education are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 46: 1041–1066, 2009