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Changes in Preservice Elementary Teachers' Sense of Efficacy in Teaching Science
Author(s) -
Ginns Ian S.,
Tulip David F.,
Watters James J.,
Lucas Keith B.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
school science and mathematics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.135
H-Index - 2
eISSN - 1949-8594
pISSN - 0036-6803
DOI - 10.1111/j.1949-8594.1995.tb10191.x
Subject(s) - bachelor , mathematics education , psychology , context (archaeology) , scale (ratio) , self efficacy , expectancy theory , locus of control , science education , teaching method , pedagogy , developmental psychology , social psychology , history , paleontology , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics , biology
This paper reports progress to date on a longitudinal study of changes in preservice teachers' sense of efficacy in teaching science. The study involved procedures designed to validate, in an Australian context, the Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (STEBI‐B) comprised of two scales: Personal Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Scale (STE) and Science Teaching Outcome Expectancy Scale (STO). Concomitantly, the instrument was used to monitor changes in teachers' sense of science teaching efficacy employing a pretest and repeated posttest, one group research design. The subjects were students enrolled in a three‐year Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) program. Correlations between pretest scores on STEBI‐B and other measures of personal beliefs and behaviors, namely academic self concept and academic locus of control, supported the validity of STEBI‐B. The results indicate that, over three semesters of the program, there was significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores on the STE scale. Possible explanations of the results obtained are discussed and evaluated and a justification for further long term research into teachers' sense of efficacy in teaching science is provided. Implications of the results for the teaching of elementary school science are discussed.