ERIC Number: EJ1336320
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Jun
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0926-7220
EISSN: N/A
Using Children's Literature in the Middle School Science Class to Teach Nature of Science: Preservice Teachers' Development of Sources
Avsar Erumit, Banu; Akerson, Valarie L.
Science & Education, v31 n3 p713-737 Jun 2022
In this study, we report the results of the content analysis of preservice middle school science teachers' own written science storybooks and middle school female students' reflections of five of the books. The participants of this study were 50 preservice middle school science teachers taking a history and nature of science course and 13 sixth-grade female students in a school in Turkey. We report representations of nature of science (NOS) aspects included in the preservice teachers' own written storybooks. Observation and inference was the most commonly included aspect among the NOS aspects, followed by the tentative NOS. We used a qualitative analysis of transcribed classroom discussions around five storybooks used by five preservice teachers in their field experiences. We found that the teachers facilitated explicit reflections about NOS aspects and science content covered in the books. Our findings build on research showing that appropriately designed children's science books can be used as classroom tools for supporting NOS instruction. We found that writing their storybooks and refining their NOS ideas through discussions provides a powerful tool for developing preservice teachers' knowledge about NOS. Preservice teachers facilitated discussions promoting explicit student reflections about NOS aspects and science content using these books.
Descriptors: Preservice Teachers, Middle School Teachers, Science Teachers, Preservice Teacher Education, Scientific Principles, Childrens Literature, Grade 6, Females, Foreign Countries, Instructional Effectiveness
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Elementary Education; Grade 6; Intermediate Grades
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Turkey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A