Recent reforms in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in Australia and globally have called for primary preservice teachers to graduate with a specialisation in a priority learning area. This represents a significant change to the way that primary teachers are prepared, and requires change to the structure and content of ITE programs. This research project investigates one Australian university’s approach to realising a primary science specialisation.
The research team has been busy to this point with completing:
- Context analysis
- Initial policy document analysis; and,
- Initial development of online modules that will comprise the science specialisation.
Their next step is to:
- Analyse the development of the science specialisation by relevant ‘policy actors’; and,
- Enact and evaluate the science specialisation.
The research aims to answer the following research questions:
- How do policy actors interpret and translate the primary specialisations guidelines?
- To what extent do primary preservice teachers and their school-based supervisors perceive the primary science specialisation to influence their science content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and practice?
Funding / Grants
- QUT STEM ERG Seed funding
Chief Investigators
Team
Other Team Members
Chief Investigator:
- Dr Theresa Bourke (QUT)
