Pre-service biology teachers’ perspectives on and understandings of scientific models

Abstract

     This research investigated 82 pre-service biology teachers’ perspectives on and understandings of scientific models. The researchers collected data using a questionnaire in both Likert scale (quantitative data) and written (qualitative data) formats. The researchers analyzed the quantitative data through determining frequencies and percentages and analyzed qualitative data through interpretation. The research results revealed that most of the pre-service teachers understood that models are constructed to represent targets in order to describe and explain natural phenomena, that one target can have multiple models depending on scientists’ ideas and purposes, and that models are subject to change when scientists have new evidence or a theoretical framework. However, the analyses of both the quantitative and qualitative data confirmed that most pre-service teachers had a misconception that models should be the same as their target in all aspects, which might result from recollecting scale models. Moreover, the pre-service teachers had a “learning perspective” and/or a “pedagogical perspective” on models. They emphasized the use of models to present scientific content. This research article suggests ways to develop pre-service teachers’ understandings so that they can have a “research perspective” and be able to deliver science lessons that allow students to construct models of scientific inquiry.