Abstract:

This research was conducted at Faculty of Education, Beni-Suef University in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (Science Teaching) in Egypt. The purpose was to determine pre-service teachers’ foundational knowledge in the integrated sciences to be taught at preparatory schools (students aged 12-15 years) in Egypt. The investigation examined the differences in the pre-service teachers’ subject matter knowledge in two science disciplines (chemistry and biology) compared to time spent in the teacher training program (year 3 and 4). Pre-service teachers (n=19) were given a science test consisting of 83 multiple-choice questions; interviews to gain additional perspectives followed. Weak scores on the test indicate that pre-service teachers are not fully prepared to teach science at preparatory schools. The research reveals that prospective science teachers need to do more than master content knowledge in science. Besides being knowledgeable about the science curricula they are going to teach, prospective science teachers need to be skillfully trained on how to access current and accurate scientific information and they require substantial training in appropriate pedagogies. The work of Lee Shulman (1986, 1987) offers a framework for (re)thinking science teacher education. All three categories of teacher knowledge: subject matter knowledge (SMK), pedagogical knowledge (PK), and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) must be addressed in science teacher education. The research results underscore the need, and possible directions, for science teacher education reform in Egypt.

Keywords:

Science teachers' subject mater knowledge, prospective science teachers.