Background: The Next Generation Science Standards (2013) put a special emphasis on engineering for K-12 science education. However, a significant number of elementary teachers still feel unprepared to integrate engineering into their science programs. It is, therefore, incumbent upon science educators to update their elementary science methods…

This paper analyses the epistemic criteria that pre-service teachers consider when assessing the quality of a scientific investigation about friction force. The participants were 71 pre-service primary teachers working in 18 small groups of three or four participants (N = 18), who were enrolled in a science teaching methods course that addressed…

This case study was conducted in Fall 2020 with two Elementary Education pre-service teaching candidates. The goal of the study was to better understand how students in this course developed new insights about teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic through their successful design of comic strip narrative artwork. The students created comic strips…

This qualitative multi-case research study explored the experiences of pre-service teachers learning phonics and phonemic awareness (PPA) in a literacy methods course. Data were collected from pre- and post-test scores, literacy life maps, semi-structured interviews, and course questionnaires. Findings suggest pre-service teachers with limited…

The purpose of this study was on understanding and interpreting five minoritised pre-service teachers' past educational experiences that impacted their first-time science microteaching experiences in a science teaching methods course. The study is unique because it illuminates and contributes to the literature on the importance of minoritised…

This study addressed the challenge of connecting elementary teacher candidates' course work and fieldwork in order to foster a cohesive experience in learning to teach mathematics. In this study, a Mediated Field Experience was designed for five elementary teacher candidates in their internship setting. The study utilized qualitative methods to…

Some views of elementary teacher preparation may include the idea that undergraduate mathematics courses are useful or even crucial for prospective teachers to have. This study sought to identify teacher candidates with mathematics degrees, in order to study their mathematical preparation. The identified prospective teachers were studied to…

In this technologically advanced time in history, distance learning has become a preferred mode of instructional delivery in higher education. From 2019 to 2021 there is a rise and fall of postbaccalaureate undergraduate students enrolled in at least one distance course and who enrolled in distance learning courses exclusively. In 2021 about 56%…

This study investigates how preservice elementary teachers (PSTs) engage and reflect on two science disciplinary practices: engaging with representations and engaging in evidence-based arguments. In the context of elementary science, teachers blend multiple practices across curricular topics and instruction. However, studies of teachers' use of…

Inquiry teaching in science education has been widely advocated for decades. It is a critical learning objective in many science teacher preparation programs. Despite its importance, it is not effectively implemented in science classrooms. One of the reasons is the lack of reliable and valid instruments that provide practical definition, concrete…

Learners need to develop multifaceted skills and knowledge in order to productively engage with today's increasingly uncertain world. To this aim, science educators strive to build students' science knowledge by engaging them in scientific practices, such as collaborative inquiry, which are social and collaborative in nature. However, learners…

Prior to the fall semester of 2017, the elementary preservice teachers who were enrolled in a science methods course engaged in a variety of field experiences across different settings, mostly informal. Beginning in the fall semester of 2017, students enrolled in this science methods course completed their field experience in formalized classroom…

There is urgency for teacher educators to instruct preservice teachers in the tenants of social justice education. This urgency is based upon the American demographic landscape and the responsibility of educators to teach for social justice. Preservice teachers report feeling inadequately prepared to educate for social justice when entering the…

Preservice educators are required to enroll in multiple methods courses to prepare them to effectively teach content to students. With the increase of online teacher preparation programs, methods courses are also being offered virtually. This study sought to investigate the overall attitudes, beliefs, and preparedness of candidates after…

Whole-class discussion of open mathematics tasks is an instructional practice K-12 mathematics educators report has the potential to engage all learners. Because this practice has not been extensively and systematically researched, this study aims to describe and analyze the engagement and experience of learners in open mathematics tasks. Drawing…