What are the Factors Influencing Pre-Service Teachers’ Theory of Action About Strategies for Motivating Students to Learn Science?

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.Previous research has documented the decline in motivation for learning science among school students, particularly at the lower secondary level. This research was conducted in two phases. In Phase One, I used a web-based survey to gather data about pre-service teachers’ beliefs about effective strategies for motivating science students and how they used those strategies during professional experience placements. Data about the factors influencing pre-service teachers’ choice of strategies to motivate students to learn science were also gathered. In Phase Two, case studies were conducted with three secondary science pre-service teachers. Case studies were conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the factors influencing pre-service teachers’ theory of action about strategies for motivating students to learn science. In phase two, data gathering methods included semi-structured interviews with three pre-service teachers and their respective supervising teachers, the use of documentation of the pre-service teachers’ science lesson plans and science lesson observations. The findings of this research findings highlighted the incongruency that exists between what secondary science pre-service teachers believe about motivating students for learning science at the lower secondary school level and how they enact those beliefs during their professional experience placement. Moreover, the findings suggested that the participating pre-service teachers’ beliefs about motivating students to learn science originated from their own school experiences and from observing other teachers teach. Additionally, although most pre-service teachers’ theory of action was categorised as contemporary/ modern approaches concerning motivating students to learn science, some pre-service teachers gave responses that deviated from widely accepted contemporary approaches to teaching science