Educating prospective teachers of biology: Findings,

limitations, and recommendations

Hewson P.W., Tabachnick B.R., Zeichner K.M., Lemberger J.
Wisconsin Ctr. for Educ. Research, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, United States

Abstract: This article summarizes the findings of a complex study of a science teacher education program
whose goal was to graduate teachers who held conceptual change conceptions of teaching science and were
disposed to put them into practice. The findings are based on the description and analysis of two major
course components - methods courses for prospective elementary and secondary teachers, and an action
research seminar - and on case studies of six prospective elementary and secondary teachers as they
progressed through the program. The article identifies several important issues with respect to the
development of prospective elementary and secondary teaches that arise from the case studies of individual
teachers and discusses the relationship between the professional component of preservice science teacher
education - the focus of the study - and other components of teacher preparation. It concludes that there are
influences on prospective teachers from their content coursework that have significant implications for how
they view science and how they teach. Thus, there need to be large changes in the ways in which these
content courses are conceptualized and taught. Finally, the influence of cooperating teachers, curricula, and
school environment on prospective teachers is considerable. This suggests the need for much closer
cooperation between schools and universities, such that the professional development of both prospective
and practicing teachers can be integrated: learning to teach should be a coherent, life-long experience.
1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Year: 1999
Source title: Science Education
Volume: 83
Issue: 3
Page : 373-384
Cited by: 29
Link: Scorpus Link
Correspondence Address: Hewson, P.W.; Wisconsin Ctr. for Educ. Research, University of Wisconsin -
Madison, Madison, WI, United States
Document Type: Article
Source: Scopus
Authors with affiliations:
1. Hewson, P.W., Wisconsin Ctr. for Educ. Research, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, United States
2. Tabachnick, B.R., Wisconsin Ctr. for Educ. Research, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, United States
3. Zeichner, K.M., Wisconsin Ctr. for Educ. Research, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, United States
4. Lemberger, J., Wisconsin Ctr. for Educ. Research, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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