Elementary Pre-Service Teachers' Environmental Literacy and Views toward Science, Technology, and Society (STS) Issues

Autor/in	Amirshokoohi, Aidin
Titel	Elementary Pre-Service Teachers' Environmental Literacy and Views toward Science, Technology, and Society (STS) Issues
Quelle	In: Science Educator, 19 (2010) 1, S.56-63 (8 Seiten) PDF als Volltext (1); PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei (2) Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1094-3277
Schlagwörter	Preservice Teachers; Methods Courses; Environmental Education; Student Teacher Attitudes; Program Effectiveness; Elementary School Teachers; Knowledge Level; Knowledge Base for Teaching; Technology; Sciences; Science Education; Elementary School Science + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Methodisch-didaktische Anleitung; Umweltbildung; Umwelterziehung; Umweltpädagogik; Elementary school; Teacher; Teachers; Grundschule; Volksschule; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Wissensbasis; Teaching theory; Theory of teaching; Unterrichtstheorie; Technologie; Science; Wissenschaft; Naturwissenschaftliche Bildung
Abstract	Although there have been a number of studies that have explored secondary in-service and pre-service teachers' beliefs about STS education, levels of environmental literacy, attitudes toward teaching STS or environmental issues, and/or the impact of teacher education programs on teacher beliefs and attitudes, studies involving elementary pre-service teachers are extremely scarce. In an effort to begin to bridge this gap in the literature, the current study was initiated to serve as a descriptive exploratory field test for a subsequent study that intends to examine the impact that a STS-oriented science methods course has on pre-service elementary teachers' level of environmental literacy, their views and perceptions toward STS issues, and the instruction of such issues in their classrooms. The aim of the current study was to gain a better understanding of elementary pre-service teachers' attitudes toward environmental and STS issues, their levels of environmental literacy and knowledge about STS, and their views about teaching environmental and STS issues to their prospective students. The results of this study indicated low levels of environmental literacy among the sample of elementary pre-service teachers. They were also indicative of low levels of personal interest in STS issues. The slightly better scores on the section of the Perception of STS (PSTS) instrument dealing with participants' views toward teaching STS in the classroom bode well and provide hope that if equipped with sufficient understanding of STS and environmental issues and the STS instructional framework, these participants are willing and consider it important to teach their prospective students about these issues. (Contains 5 figures and 3 tables.) (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	National Science Education Leadership Association. P.O. Box 99381, Raleigh, NC 27624-9381. Tel: 919-848-8171; Fax: 919-848-0496; Web site: http://nsela.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=51&Itemid=85
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10