Teachers’ perception of their initial preparation in teaching senior high school physics
Abstract views: 304
/ 
PDF downloads: 136
Keywords:
Initial teacher education, content knowledge, physics teachers, physics educators, classroom practicesAbstract
This study investigated New Zealand (NZ) physics teachers’ and physics educators’ views about their Initial Teacher Education (ITE). Specifically, the study explored how well the ITE prepared physics teachers for classroom practice and to become effective teachers. The study employed mixed methods to answer the questions that were formulated to guide the study. The perspectives of the physics teacher educators and physics teachers nationally indicated that the teachers considered themselves not well-prepared in some content areas including electronics, modern physics, and atomic and nuclear physics. A significant difference in perspective also existed between teachers who were educated in NZ and those gaining initial teaching qualifications from overseas. The findings from the study suggested that the non-education degree which provided the teachers most of their content knowledge was perhaps inadequate for a teaching career. The implications for ITE of physics teachers are discussed in the paper.
References
American Physics Society. (2008). Why study physics? Retrieved May 25, 2013, from http://www.aps.org/programs/education/whystudy.cfm
Ball, D. L., Thames, M. H., & Phelps, G. (2008). Content knowledge for teaching: What makes it special? Journal of Teacher Education, 59(5), 389-407.
Cheng, M. M. H., Cheng, A. Y. N., & Tang, S. Y. F. (2010). Closing the gap between the theory and practice of teaching: implications for teacher education programmes in Hong Kong. Journal of Education for Teaching, 36(1), 91-104. doi: 10.1080/02607470903462222
Cochran-Smith, M. (2005). The new teacher education: For better or for worse? Educational researcher, 34(7), 3-17.
Loucks-Horsley, S., & Olson, S. (Eds.) (2000). Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A Guide for Teaching and Learning. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press.
Coll, R. K., Dahsah, C., & Faikhamta, C. (2010). The influence of educational context on science learning: A cross-national analysis of PISA. Research in Science & Technological Education, 28(1), 3-24.
Conner, L., & Gunstone, R. (2004). Conscious knowledge of learning: Accessing learning strategies in a final year high school biology class. International Journal of Science Education, 26(12), 1427-1443.
Conner, L., & Sliwka, A. (2014). Implications of Research on Effective Learning Environments for Initial Teacher Education. European Journal of Education, 49(2), 165-177.
Cowie, B., Jones, A., & Otrel-Cass, K. (2011). Re-engaging students in science: Issues of assessment, funds of knowledge and sites for learning. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 9(2), 347-366.
Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. P. (2011). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Cutnell, J. D., & Johnson, K. W. (2007). Physics (7th ed.). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Bull, A., Gilbert, J., Barwick, H., Hipkins, R., & Baker, R. (2010). Inspired by science. Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2000). Teacher quality and student achievement: A review of state policy evidence. Education policy analysis archives, 8(1), 1-15.
Darling-Hammond, L., & Baratz-Snowden, J. (2005). A good teacher in every classroom: Preparing the highly qualified teachers our children deserve. San Fransisco, CA: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Darling-Hammond, L., Berry, B., & Thoreson, A. (2001). Does teacher certification matter? Evaluating the evidence. Educational Evaluation & Policy Analysis, 23(1), 57-77.
Darling-Hammond, L., Chung, R., & Frelow, F. (2002). Variation in teacher preparation how well do different pathways prepare teachers to teach? Journal of Teacher Education, 53(4), 286-302.
Etkina, E. (2010). Pedagogical content knowledge and preparation of high school physics teachers. Physical Review Special Topics-Physics Education Research, 6(2), 1-26.
Fensham, P. J. (2001). Science content as problematic-Issues for research. In H. Behrendt, H. Dahncke, R. Duit, W. Graber, M. Komorek, A. Kross & P. Reiska (Eds.), Research in science education-Past, present, and future (pp. 27-41). London: Kluwer.
Fensham, P. J. (2004). Defining an identity: The evolution of science education as a field of research. London: Kluwer.
Fensham, P. J., Gunstone, R. F., & White, R. T. (1994). The content of science: A constructivist approach to its teaching and learning. Bristol, PA: Falmer Press.
Field, A. (2009). Discovering statistics using SPSS (3rd ed.). London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E., & Hyun, H. H. (2012). How to design and evaluate research in education (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Gess-Newsome, J. (2015). A model of teacher professional knowledge and skill including PCK: Results of the thinking from the PCK Summit. In A. Berry, P. Friedrichsen & J. Loughran (Eds.), Re-examining pedagogical content knowledge in science education (pp. 38-52). New York: Routledge.
Gibbs, K. (2003). Advanced physics (2nd ed.). Cambrige, United Kingdom: Cambridge University press.
Gray, D. E. (2009). Doing research in the real world (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications Inc.
Gunstone, R. (1994). The importance of specific science content in the enhancement of metacognition In P. J. Fensham, R. Gunstone & R. T. White (Eds.), The content of science: a constructivist approach to its teaching and learning. Bristol, PA: Falmer Press.
Henderson, D. G., Fisher, D. L., & Fraser, B. J. (1998). Learning environment and student attitudes in environmental science classrooms. Proceedings Western Australian Institute for Educational Research Forum 1998. Retrieved from http://www.waier.org.au/forums/1998/henderson.html
Hendriks, M., Luyten, H., Scheerens, J., Sleegers, P., & Steen, R. (2010). Teachers' professional development: Europe in international comparison: An analysis of teachers' professional development based on the OECD's teaching and learning international survey (TALIS).
Hipkins, R., & Bolstad, R. (2005). Staying in science: Students' participation in secondary education and on transition to tertiary studies. Wellington: NZCER.
Hipkins, R., Roberts, J., Bolstad, R., & Ferral, H. (2006). Staying in Science 2: Transition to tertiary study from the perspectives of New Zealand Year 13 science students. Willington: NZCER.
Hodapp, T., Hehn, J., & Hein, W. (2009). Preparing high‐school physics teachers. Physics Today, 62, 40-45.
Kagan, D. M. (1992). Professional Growth among Preservice and Beginning Teachers. Review of educational research, 62(2), 129-169. doi: 10.3102/00346543062002129
Kirschner, S., Borowski, A., Fischer, H. E., Gess-Newsome, J., & von Aufschnaiter, C. (2016). Developing and evaluating a paper-and-pencil test to assess components of physics teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge. International Journal of Science Education, 38(8), 1343-1372.
Korthagen, F., Loughran, J., & Russell, T. (2006). Developing fundamental principles for teacher education programs and practices. Teaching and teacher education, 22(8), 1020-1041.
Lederman, N. G., & Gess-Newsome, J. (2001). Reconceptualizing secondary science teacher education. In J. Gess-Newsome & N. G. Lederman (Eds.), Examining pedagogical content knowledge: The construct and its implications for science education (pp. 199-213). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Levin, B., & He, Y. (2008). Investigating the content and sources of teacher candidates' personal practical theories (PPTs). Journal of Teacher Education, 59(1), 55-68.
Loucks-Horsley, S., & Olson, S. (Eds.). (2000). Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A Guide for Teaching and Learning. Washington DC: National Academies Press.
May, T. (2001). Social research: issues, methods and process. Buckingham: Open University.
McDermott, C. L. (2001). Oersted medal lecture 2001: Physics education research—the key to student learning. American Journal of Physics, 69, 1127-1137. doi: 10.1119/1.1389280
McDermott, C. L., & Shaffer, P. S. (2000). Preparing teachers to teach physics and physical science by inquiry. Physics Education, 35(6), 411-416.
McGee, C., Cowie, B., & Cooper, B. (2010). Initial teacher education and the New Zealand curriculum. Waikato Journal of Education, 15(1), 9-27.
Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand curriculum. Wellington Learning Media Limited.
Mohd Zaki, I. (2008). Improving the training of pre-service physics teachers in Malaysia using didaktik analysis. (PhD), University of Waikato, Hamilton.
National Research Council. (1996). National Science Education Standards: observe, interact, change, learn. Washington, D.C: National Academy Press.
New Zealand Teachers Council. (2010). Registered teacher criteria: Handbook 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2013, from http://www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/rtc/rtchandbook-english.pdf.
Nilsson, P., & Loughran, J. (2012). Exploring the development of pre-service science elementary teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 23(7), 699-721.
NVivo qualitative data analysis software; QSR International Pty Ltd. Version 10, 2012.
OECD. (2013). Innovative learning environments Paris: Educational Research and Innovation, OECD Publishing.
OECD. (2014). TALIS 2013 Results: An international perspective on teaching and learning. Paris: OECD Publishing.
Orleans, A. V. (2007). The condition of secondary school physics education in the Philippines: Recent developments and remaining challenges for substantive improvements. The Australian educational researcher, 34(1), 33-54.
Pallant, J. (2007). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using SPSS (3rd ed.). Bershire, UK: Open University Press.
Sarantakos, S. (2005). Social research (3rd ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan
Scheerens, J. (2009). Teachers’ professional development: Europe in international comparison. A secondary analysis based on the TALIS dataset. The Netherlands: University of Twente.
Stewart, G. (2011). Science in the māori medium curriculum: Assessment of policy outcomes in Pūtaiao education. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 43(7), 724-741.
Vannier, D. M. (2012). Primary and secondary school science education in New Zealand (Aotearoa): Policies and practices for a better future. Willington: Fulbright New Zealand.
Weiss, I. R., Banilower, E. R., McMahon, K. C., & Smith, P. S. (2001). Report of the 2000 national survey of science and mathematics education. Chapel Hill, NC: Horizon Research, Inc.
Wellington, J., & Osborne, J. (2001). Language and literacy in science education. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright © Authors
