Four case studies of prospective science teachers' beliefs concerning constructivist teaching practices

To gain a better understanding of the emerging constructivist beliefs and classroom practices, case studies were constructed for four prospective teachers who were purposely selected as a result of their scores on the Classroom Learning Environment Survey (CLES) (Taylor, Fraser, & White, A classroom environment questionnaire for science educators interested in the constructivist reform of school science. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Anaheim, CA, 1994). The case studies provided insight into two primary questions (1) what are the beliefs of the prospective science teacher regarding constructivist teaching practices and (2) are these beliefs consistent with subsequent classroom practice? The components of constructivist teaching by Taylor, Fraser, and White (1994) were used as a theoretical framework in conjunction with Ajzen and Fishbein's components of the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1985). Data collection consisted of document analysis, classroom observation, and interviews. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Findings from the case studies suggest that at least two kinds of beliefs were in operation: central beliefs and peripheral beliefs. The central beliefs were defined as those dictating subsequent teaching behaviors; whereas the peripheral beliefs were those that were stated but not operationalized. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed86:783–802, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/sce.10038