Elementary Teacher Candidates’ Identity and Self-Efficacy Development Associated With Science Teaching and Learning

• In Event: Emerging Years of Schooling

Abstract

This mixed-method, design-based study described and evaluated the impact a science methods course had on the development of identity and self-efficacy of prospective elementary educators as teachers of science. The design of the course was informed by the cultural-historical activity theory, situated learning theory, and scholarship related to teacher education. The objective of the course was to provide practical, reflective, and collective activity among prospective educators, elementary children, and university professors. The experiences in the course helped the teacher candidates develop identity and self-efficacy as teachers of science, while the research revealed the dynamic nature of these characteristics. This study has significant implication for the design of elementary education programs and science methods courses.

Author

• Kara Naidoo, New York University