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Playfulness: A Motivator in Elementary Science Teacher Preparation
Author(s) -
Jarrett Olga S.
Publication year - 1998
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.1949-8594.1998.tb17414.x
Subject(s) - psychology , mathematics education , exploratory research , context (archaeology) , science learning , science education , pedagogy , teacher preparation , field (mathematics) , process (computing) , teacher education , sociology , computer science , mathematics , paleontology , anthropology , biology , operating system , pure mathematics
Research suggests that teacher preparation courses should model hands‐on activities promoting positive attitudes toward science. This study investigated the qualities of activities in a field‐based science methods course that motivate preservice elementary teachers to implement them in their own classrooms. Ratings of the activities as fun, interesting, and having a high potential for learning were highly correlated, and the preservice teachers predicted that they would more likely implement activities they rated high on these qualities. A comparison of activities ranked high and low in fun suggests that activities ranked high tended to be exploratory in nature, taught process skills in context, enabled the preservice teachers to experience something new in a nonthreatening way, and promoted social interactions. 1