FOCUS Library

Early Development of a Student-Centered Perspective in Science and Math Pre-Service Teachers

Abstract

"This pilot study investigates the influence of instructor modeling on future math and science teachers' student-centered perspective as evidenced in planning classroom lessons. The lesson plans of twenty-seven credential students with no experience in student-centered classroom instruction were compared to lesson plans by five pre-service students and twenty-one undergraduates with such experience. An analysis of variance finds a significant difference in the student-centeredness of the lesson plans of the credential students compared to the other two groups but no significant difference between the pre-service students with prior experience and the undergraduates. After ten weeks of instruction, fifteen of the credential students also completed a survey that included questions about teacher practices, student objectives, and different classroom discussion scenarios. All of the students indicated that they would use student-centered approaches and seem to have developed an inclination toward reform-based pedagogy."