This study explores the science teacher identities of 35 elementary pre-service teachers enrolled in an elementary science methods course in the third year of their professional coursework. Using an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach, this research answered two research questions: How do pre-service teachers view themselves as science…

This study examined how five minoritized female pre-service teachers negotiated their border crossing from learning to teach science to science teaching for the first time (microteaching) within the context of an elementary science teaching methods course. Perspectives from the border crossing literature guided this study and helped in addressing…

Teacher candidates kept journals for one semester, documenting the science content and practices they encountered in their daily lives, while their professor provided detailed written feedback. The objective of this study was to determine gaps in everyday science practices, and to eventually design interventions which might help teacher candidates…

The purpose of this study was to explore an approach to an elementary science methods course that utilized a science notebook to physically distinguished multiple perspectives of science teaching and learning. We conceptualized teacher candidates' (TCs') thinking within a framework titled "Exploring Multiple Perspectives in the Methods…

Fostering students' scientific literacy is a key goal of science education, with understanding the nature of scientific inquiry (NOSI) as a central component. Achieving this goal requires teachers to possess adequate knowledge in this area. However, assessments indicate that pre-service science teachers (PSTs) have not yet developed comprehensive…

Recent research has focused on innovative instructional shifts that aim to expand what constitutes science and engineering practices, exploring also how they can build on students' diverse language resources in science learning. However, few studies explore the intersections of elementary teacher preparation and the implementation of science and…

Research on teacher educators' professional learning has gained increasing interest within science education. Curriculum materials have been suggested as a means of supporting "teacher" learning for several decades but have not yet been examined as a potential tool for supporting the learning of "teacher educators." In this…

While recent research has examined students' and teachers' understanding of models and modeling, few studies have focused on how teacher educators can support preservice elementary science teachers in envisioning enriched learning processes and outcomes for their students while engaging in modeling practices. Informed by reflective practices…

This study analyzed elementary preservice teachers' (PST) participation in an equity-oriented digital clinical simulation administered in a science methods course. Using the Teacher Moments' open access platform, PSTs completed the simulation, To Intervene or Not, about two students from historically minoritized communities who appeared disengaged…

Research has shown that teachers and students have difficulties in connecting climate change evidence with climate change claims. Such difficulties may come from the lack of knowledge about how scientific models and modeling work in climate science. Climate change as a complex system with a large time and land scale requires sophisticated…

This study examines the effect of nature journaling on engagement patterns among non-traditional adult learners enrolled in an elementary science methods course. The research aims to bridge a gap in the existing literature by investigating the effectiveness of nature journaling in enhancing learning experiences for this specific demographic.…