This study examined the impact of action research conducted by five science teaching methods course instructors on their students' perceptions of the classroom learning environments at a large public university in Texas. The study analyzed the results from 133 students who completed two administrations of the What is Happening in this Class…

Science education researchers have found that instructional design focusing more on learners' affective needs can be powerful in nurturing effective and exciting science learning. This paper reports a qualitative study exploring how learners' situational affective experiences are influenced by the interplay of their habitual affective attributes…

Our research in this qualitative study focused on preservice teachers' perceptions of understanding classroom community and how care ethics play a role in crafting classroom environments. We sampled 20 preservice teachers in order to better understand how they understand care and community prior to entering the classroom. Our findings suggest that…

This study investigated the effect of teaching rehearsals on 22 preservice secondary mathematics teachers (PSMTs) who were in their first mathematics pedagogy course. The objective of the teaching rehearsal was to introduce PSMTs to student-centered teaching. PSMTs worked in groups to complete a learning cycle consisting of analyzing a mathematics…

Critical thinking is an important life skill that needs to be nurtured in young minds during the primary education years. This study explored pre-service teachers' perception of barriers to their efforts in promoting critical thinking skills in classrooms, and further explored possible solutions to overcome these perceived barriers. The study used…

As a Methods Professor in a Research I institution in the Midwest and the largest education program in its respective state, I faced a crisis after ten years in higher education. The concern I faced was whether or not the repertoire I taught my students was appropriate and meaningful in their training. While staying abreast of current research and…

This examination of practice aims to share pedagogical practices, grounded in the research of teaching and learning, for building a community of learners in teacher education coursework. The pedagogical exploration supports explicit modeling of strategies to support teacher candidates in their mission to develop a community of learners in their…

Students classified with disabilities make up more than 13 percent of the public school population in the United States, but they remain on the margins of social studies research. Thus, we know very little about social studies education in inclusive settings. This study explores how social studies methods classes in one teacher education program…