Teaching-Learning Processes in the Preservice Education of General Science Teachers

Abstract

This study analyzed the preservice general science curricula of selected Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) in Region I in terms of their provision for the development of chemistry teaching competencies and examined the different teaching-learning process and strategies employed in their preservice science teacher education programs. Specifically, it looked into: a) the chemistry teaching competencies expected of prospective general science teachers bases on the Department of Education (DepED) general science curriculum and those that are developed by the TEIs; 2) the qualification of teacher educators and cooperating teachers to train prospective science teachers; 3) the confidence and competency levels of prospective a novice teachers to teach chemistry topics included in the DepED science curriculum; and 4) the relationship between their actual teaching competence and perceived level of confidence in teaching these.

Involved in the study were six TEIs which graduate at least five science majors annually, 61 prospective teachers, 28 teacher educators, 61 novice teachers, and 38 cooperating teachers. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through document analyses, survey questionnaires, classroom observations and unstructured interviews.

Results of the study revealed that the DepEd General Science syllabus prescribes a minimum of 25 chemistry learning competencies that need to be acquired by prospective general science teachers, most of which are of the domain-specific category and fall under declarative knowledge classification.

The TEIs’ curricular offerings meet CHED’s prescribed number of units for a science major/concentration, but many of the chemistry competencies prescribed by DepEd are not provided for in their courses’ syllabi.