Preservice elementary teachers' self -efficacy beliefs and their conceptions of photosynthesis and inheritance

The purpose of this study was to examine pre-service elementary teachers' understanding of the concepts of photosynthesis and inheritance. Secondly, this study explored pre-service teachers' self-efficacy beliefs in the teaching of science. An emphasis was placed upon investigating the relationship between these two issues. Data were gathered through the use of misconception and science teaching efficacy beliefs instruments, and the utilization of inter-views. Seventy-nine pre-service elementary teachers who were enrolled in science methods classes participated in this study during the fall semester of the 1998--99 academic year at Indiana University. Eleven pre-service teachers participated in interviews. The results suggested that the pre-service elementary teachers hold alternative conceptions regarding photosynthesis and inheritance. The stochastic Rasch model was used to evaluate quantitative data. Analysis of the self-efficacy survey and individual interviews indicated generally positive self-efficacy beliefs. All participants interviewed generally seemed willing to teach science, because they thought that science was fun and exciting. Even though preservice teachers hold many alternative conceptions regarding photosynthesis and inheritance, many of them felt that they understand science concepts well enough to teach science effectively to the students. Most of the interviewed participants felt less confident about teaching photosynthesis and felt they needed to review more information about photosynthesis prior to teaching. Data of this study also suggest that science courses completed in high school and college do not appear to have influenced subjects' number of alternative conceptions regarding photosynthesis and inheritance and self-efficacy beliefs regarding science teaching. The results also indicated that those pre-service teachers with the lowest number of alternative conceptions regarding photosynthesis had a relatively high personal science teaching efficacy. A similar relationship was not observed for the inheritance part.