Prospective Science Teachers\u27 Understanding of Science Practices in Classroom Scenarios

The purpose of this study was to explore how to support prospective science teachers in meeting expectations of the Next Generation Science Standards, specifically understanding science practices in the classroom. We investigated if prospective science teachers had sufficient knowledge of science practices to use the NGSS’s framework of inquiry as science practices at the end of the teacher preparation programs. Prospective teachers were asked to accurately recognize and describe the enactment science practices in classrooms using written and video scenarios. While prospective science teachers were confident in their understanding of science practices, participants were unable to consistently recognize science practices or describe the level of depth of science practices in written or video scenarios. Our results highlight the need for additional support in not only understanding what science practices are, but what science practices look like in classrooms and how to enact science practices at various levels of depth