Integrating Science, Technology, Society and Environment (STSE) into physics teacher education: Pre-service Teachers' Perceptions and Challenges

Although STSE has recently received attention in educational research, policy, and science curricula development, fewer strides have been made in moving theory into practice. There are many examples of STSE-based and issues-based teaching in science at the elementary and secondary levels, which can be found in the literature (Alsop, Bencze, & Pedretti, 2005; Hodson, 1993, 2000; Pedretti & Hodson, 1995), yet little has focused specifically on physics education. This doctoral thesis will examine pre-service physics teachers’ beliefs and perceptions, challenges and tensions which influence their adoption of STSE education in the context of a pre-service physics education course (Curriculum and Instruction in Physics Education at the B.Ed level). An interpretive case study design as described by Merriam (1988) has been employed for this research (Merriam, 1988; Novodvorsky, 2006). The specific phenomena this case study examined and explored were the pre-service physics teachers’ beliefs and perceptions, challenges and tensions influencing their adoption of physics curricula that explicitly emphasizes an STSE orientation to physics education. The pre-service physics teachers’ evolution of perceptions and attitudes show growth in the areas of curricula understanding and implementation issues, potential student concerns, and general fit of the subject within the context of a student’s learning journey. This study contributes to our understanding of the challenges pre-service physics teachers face when considering teaching physics through an STSE lens, and provides some implications for both pre-service and in-service teacher education.Ph