• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.713-723
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• 2008

Science teaching-anxiety and science teaching-efficacy are influential factors in teachers' teaching practices and behaviors. In order to encourage elementary teachers to do better teaching practice, this study identified factors that have caused teachers' science teaching-anxiety, developed an instrument measuring science teaching-anxiety, and investigated the relationship between science teaching-anxiety and science teaching-efficacy. In addition, we attempted to suggest practical implications to enhance teachers' confidence in science teaching. The guiding research questions were 1) which factors affect science teaching-anxiety level of the preservice elementary teachers, and 2) how each factor of science teaching-anxiety is related to science teaching-efficacy. The subjects were 133 Korean preservice elementary teachers (57.1% were female) in a large city. The data sources included teachers' responses to three paper and pencil questionnaires: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Science Teaching-Anxiety Questionnaire (STAQ), and Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-B). To clarify the science teaching-anxiety, we specified it into six factors: trait anxiety about nature of science and science teaching, state anxiety about instruction, science activities, student assessment, and professional responsibilities. The results indicated three significant aspects of science teaching anxiety and efficacy. First, their level of anxiety about professional responsibility and science teaching was relatively high among six factors. Second, there was a negative correlation between science teaching-anxiety and science teaching-efficacy. Third, trait anxiety about science teaching is the most influential factor for science teaching-efficacy while state anxiety about instruction and professional responsibilities were followed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.131-139
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• 2007

This study investigated whether there was a difference between general teaching efficacy and science teaching efficacy of preservice elementary teachers. And, the difference was also examined in the area of several variables of the preservice teachers, such as gender, the university majors, the high school majors, and grades. The results showed that a significant difference was not found between general teaching efficacy and science teaching efficacy. Teacher variables were found as the major factors to explain the difference. In case of male students who are majoring in science/math at university, and the students who majored in science/math at high school, science teaching efficacy was higher than general teaching efficacy. Whereas, in case of female students and nonscience majors at university and high school, science teaching efficacy was lower than their general teaching efficacy. Educational implications for preservice elementary teachers were discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.459-467
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to find out the level of science teaching efficacy belief in the elementary school teachers and to find out the students' science process skills and scientific attitudes according to the level of the teacher's science teaching efficacy belief. After measuring science teaching efficacy belief of 109 teachers from nine elementary schools, three teachers who received the high score and three teachers who received the low score were selected from each 5th and 6th grade. Science process skills and scientific attitudes of 331 students who were in the selected 12 teachers' classes were measured. The results of this study were as follows; First, there were significant differences on the elementary school teachers' science teaching efficacy belief according to teacher's gender and career. The men's average score was clearly higher than women's average score on personal science teaching efficacy in science teaching efficacy belief according to teacher's gender. There was a obvious difference between the group of more than six-year less than ten-year and the group of more than fifteen-year less than twenty-year, the group of more than twenty-year on science teaching outcome expectancy in science teaching efficacy belief according to teacher's career. Second, there was not a evident difference on the elementary school students' science process skill according to the level of the elementary school teachers' science teaching efficacy. Third, there was a distinct difference on the elementary school students' scientific attitude according to the elementary school teachers' science teaching efficacy. There was a significant difference on the openness and the endurance in each scientific attitude. The level of science teaching efficacy belief in the elementary school teachers had few effects on the elementary school students' science process skill, on the other hand the level of science teaching efficacy belief in the elementary school teachers had an positive effect on the elementary school students' scientific attitude.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.361-373
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• 2001

This study identified significant variables that influence the science teaching self-efficacy beliefs of Kindergarten teachers. Data was obtained from 317 kindergarten teachers who responded to the questionnaire, the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (Riggs & Enochs). Results indicated that science teaching experience, teachers' attitudes about science and teaching science, and children's interest in science influenced science teaching self-efficacy. Science related experiences of childhood and schooling negatively affected science teaching outcome expectancy.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.691-697
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• 2007

This study investigates how well pre-teachers in preschools aware the importance of science teaching methods, goals and efficacy, and how different the pre-teachers recognize the importance of methods and goals in science teaching according to the levels of their science teaching efficacy. The subjects were 207 pre-service preschool teachers in Chonnam University and Chonbuk University. The data were collected by using three questionnaires("Science teaching efficacy", "Science teaching goal" and "Science teaching method"). The data were analyzed by a t-test and descriptive statistic. The results are as follows: first, the efficacy levels of the pre-teachers are higher than the average. The pre-teachers perceive a 'process-oriented' goal more importantly than a 'content-oriented' goal in early science education. Also, they recognize science teaching methods as being significant in the order of an 'interactive' approach, an 'activity-discovery' approach and a 'knowledge-transmission' approach. Second, the pre-teachers with high teaching efficacy recognize a 'process-oriented' goal as being more important than those with low teaching efficacy do.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.189-206
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to analyze the mediating effect of pedagogical content knowledge of science teaching on the relations among child care teachers' burnout, science teaching anxiety, and science teaching efficacy. For this study, questionnaires were distributed to 355 teachers working at child care centers in Jollanam-do. The analysis of data was conducted with SPSS WIN 18.0. The results of this study were as follows. First, child care teachers' burnout lowered their science teaching efficacy, and child care teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, as a mediating variable, reduced the negative effect of child care teachers' burnout on their science teaching efficacy. Second, child care teachers' science teaching anxiety lowered their science teaching efficacy, and child care teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, as a mediating variable, reduced the negative effect of child care teachers' science teaching anxiety as an independent variable on their science teaching efficacy. These findings imply there is a need to boost pedagogical content knowledge during in-service teacher education programs.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.504-513
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• 2011

The preservice elementary teachers' achievement goal orientations(mastery/ability-approach/ability-avoidance/work-avoidance goal) for science teaching were measured. The student teachers(91 males and 127 females) tended to have the mastery or ability-approach goals rather than the ability-avoidance or work-avoidance goals for science teaching. The male students were more learning focused than were the females, while the female students reported stronger work-avoidance goal orientation than did the males. This study also examined how the preservice teachers' achievement goal orientations were related to their science teaching efficacy beliefs(personal science teaching efficacy belief/science teaching outcome expectancy). As expected, the results showed that there were significantly positive relationships between the mastery or ability-approach goals and science teaching efficacy beliefs, while the significantly negative relationships were found between the ability-avoidance or work-avoidance goal and personal science teaching efficacy belief. The educational implications and future directions were discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2006

This study examined how pre-service elementary teachers' perceptions regarding the learning environment (learning focus/ability-meritocracy/cooperative climate) and achievement goals (mastery/performance-approach/performance-avoidance) in science education courses jointly contributed to their science teaching efficacy beliefs (personal science teaching efficacy belief/science teaching outcome expectancy). A path analysis supported a causal model in which the perception of the learning focus influenced the mastery goal, which in turn influenced the personal science teaching efficacy belief and science teaching outcome expectancy. The perception of learning focus also had a direct effect on science teaching outcome expectancy. The perception of ability-meritocracy influenced personal science teaching efficacy belief via the performance-approach (positively) or, conversely, the performance-avoidance goal (negatively). No link .was deduced from the perception of cooperative climate. The educational implications of these findings were also discussed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.326-331
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• 2004

In this study, the relationships among self-directed learning ability, science teaching efficacy beliefs (personal science teaching efficacy and science teaching outcome expectation), life satisfaction, job satisfaction, and other background variables of elementary school teachers were investigated. A survey was administered to 234 teachers from 25 elementary schools in Jeonju. It was found that self-directed learning ability of the teachers was significantly correlated with their personal science teaching efficacy, science teaching outcome expectation, life satisfaction, job satisfaction, and age. A stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that personal science teaching efficacy, life satisfaction, science teaching outcome expectation, and age were the significant predictors on their self-directed learning ability.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.173-190
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• 2019

The self-efficacy of pre-service teachers has been reported as a major factor in the instruction of the curriculum. In particular, considering the importance of science learning instruction for underrepresented students from the viewpoint of science education for all, pre-service elementary teachers' self-efficacy about science instruction for underrepresented students will be an important factor of science education for these students. The purpose of this study is to investigate the self-efficacy of pre-service elementary teachers in science instruction for underrepresented students. To this end, the science teaching and learning self-efficacy test tool (Lee & Im, 2010) was revised in accordance with the context of science teaching for underrepresented students into a total of 24 items using 5 Likert scales. Through using the test tool consists of 3 dimensions as Learning Efficacy, Teaching Efficacy and Outcome Expectancy, 81 pre-service elementary teachers were surveyed and the reliability of test tool was verified through factor analysis and assessing construct validity by using the responses. As a result of the analysis, setting 5 as the standard perfect score, the average score of self-efficacy per dimension was shown as 3.29 in Learning Efficacy, 2.89 in Teaching Efficacy, and 3.39 in Outcome Expectancy. We confirmed the tendency and difference of self-efficacy of the research objects according to their background factors in which direct and indirect experience relating to the science education for the underrepresented students. Also, we verified that pre-service elementary teachers' interest in science subject matter, teaching science and their perception of the value of science learning had significant relations with self-efficacy on science teaching for underrepresented students.