Abstract:

This study involved qualitative analyses of two preservice teachers’ field assignments that received the highest and the lowest scores in a teacher training course in science methods. A constant comparison method was used to analyze two participants’ answers to seven guided reflection questions in a field assignment. Analyses of the field assignments gave a detailed portrait of how they applied hands-on activities at learning stations to change their students’ alternative conceptions and improve their initial understanding. Four critical factors emerged that might have affected their overall performance such as the degree of support provided by classroom teachers; the amount of time needed to plan, prepare, and implement the stations; the way of analyzing the data collected from their students in a systematic way, and the level of understanding of conceptual change terminology. The research findings indicate that practice of strategies learned in a science methods class helps preservice teachers connect theory with practice. The major implications and recommendations for teacher preparation programs and conceptual change practices in preservice and in service field placements were presented.

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