More sustainable environmental behavior and management is necessary if we are to sustain human well-being; however, current educational practices are not well aligned to support the development of environmentally informed citizens, including adequate teacher preparation. Classroom teachers are in a unique position to develop student skills and…

This study explores Ethiopian preservice primary science teachers' perception of mentoring practices. Using a survey design, the Amharic translation of Mentoring for Effective Primary Science Teaching (MEPST) was administered to 239 graduating preservice science teachers, enrolled in four teacher education colleges. In addition, we interviewed 20…

Research on teacher identity has suggested that being able to envision oneself as a teacher of science is an important part of becoming a teacher of science. Identity is a multifaceted construct and for prospective elementary teachers there are many possible sources for learning about what it means to be a teacher and these sources may tell…

The COVID-19 pandemic is a historic global event that has extended to all parts of society and shaken the core of what we know and how we live. During this pandemic, the work of STEM professionals has taken center stage. Through our close observations of how the events of the pandemic have been unfolding across the globe, we propose an…

While multicultural teaching strategies show promise in meeting the educational needs of ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse students, science teachers often leave traditional preparation programs with little-to-no exposure to such practices. As there are few resources around multicultural science education, teachers must develop a…

The purpose of this mixed-methods research was to investigate changes in preservice elementary teachers' science teacher identities and self-efficacy beliefs as they participate in a field-based science methods course. A total of 121 preservice teachers participated, four of which were purposefully selected who held varied initial levels of…

This paper reports the qualitative analysis of science teachers' pedagogical reflections while attending institutes focused on the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS). The researchers collected reflection slips from 165 science teachers (K-12) across 14 different NGSS institutes. To analyze the data, researchers classified…

Within two sections of science methods for elementary and middle-school teachers, an embedded, multi-case study design was employed to explore whether teaching rehearsals would better prepare preservice teachers (PSTs) to implement explanation-driven science instruction. A teaching rehearsal allows PSTs to practice teaching a segment of their…

This study investigated how practice-based science methods courses, at three different institutions, provided opportunities for preservice teachers (PSTs) to develop new ways of enacting and noticing ambitious teaching through analyzing rehearsal lessons. We examined 194 written rehearsal reflections for similarities and differences in the types…

We report on seven secondary science teachers' initial efforts to understand and enact NGSS-aligned teaching. After interviewing and observing them over the course of the school year, we found that teachers revised their lessons to include instructional strategies that aimed to meet the demands of the NGSS. Yet at times, the purpose for which…

With the growing adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards across the United States, elementary teachers are being called upon to incorporate engineering into their science instruction, creating a need for ways to help elementary teachers better understand what engineering is and how to accurately communicate it to students. The present…

Teacher-directed and inquiry-based science instructional practices have been shown to influence students' performance on science assessments. However, only a small body of research has examined the associations of teacher-directed and inquiry-based science instructional practices with science-related dispositions among adolescent students using…

This qualitative case study of 20 teachers enrolled in a two-year fellowship, examines the professional development of science teachers during participation in a professional learning community. Our professional development model specifically employs vertical teaming of teachers from elementary, middle, and high school levels to examine the…

This study explored 272 Thai elementary science teachers' perceptions of engineers and engineering, through an investigation of their drawings and accompanying written descriptions. The teachers' drawings were analyzed using a coding system that focused on the number and gender of engineers, their work environments, and objects associated with…

In order to improve the retention of science teachers, studies have focused on understanding the issues teachers encounter and identities they construct. Most studies examined the early years of teaching science. However, fewer studies of professional trajectory and identity examine the departure/dropout of mid-career and late-career science…