A Study on Difficulties Experienced by Pre-service Elementary School Teachers in Carrying out a Research on 'the Life Cycle of a Common Cabbage Butterfly'

Abstract

This study aims to analyze difficulties that pre-service elementary teachers experience in investigating the life cycle of a common cabbage butterfly in person. As difficulties they face during the process of this research, they pointed out collecting eggs, observing molting, creating environments for a breeding cage, feeding, building a breeding cage, and making butterfly specimens. Out of all the environmental difficulties related to their school fields, they pointed out a difficulty of time management most of all, followed by placing a breeding cage in the classroom and the lack of microscopes for observation. In regard to difficulties related to their evaluations on students' activities, they found it difficult to evaluate students' activity with the life cycle of an insect in the aspect of knowledge and even to set evaluation criteria. Besides, many of them responded that it would be appropriate to evaluate a research on the life cycle of an insect through a portfolio or an observation journal. In regard to difficulties in terms of teachers' knowledge, they found it difficult to understand insect molting, metamorphoses, complete metamorphoses, incomplete metamorphoses, the structure of an insect body, and how to distinguish a female insect from a male one. In regard to the application of class models, they knew it is important for students to have various experiences through direct observation, so the experience-based learning model was proper for the process of observing the life cycle of a common cabbage butterfly. However, they found it difficult for students to observe each stage of the life cycle in person.

Pre-service Elementary Science Teacher Preparation through Children’s Literature

“…This allowed for compare-and-contrast, as well as consideration of the different purposes of the two texts, as called for by the two ELA standards referenced. Additionally, given that VHC is a popular yet simple account that differs in a number of ways from the more detailed and empirically sound NG account regarding important aspects of the butterfly life cycle (e.g., diet, timing, metamorphosis), these two accounts were expected to aid participants in meeting the referenced life science standard while engaging in the iterative process of modeling that was expected to uncover misconceptions that have been observed among both student and pre-service elementary teacher populations when considering the butterfly life cycle (Cinici, 2013;Kim, 2014).…”

“…Most teachers' experiences with modeling or model-centered inquiry are limited, and when teachers do employ models, it is often in reference to scientific consensus models when teaching content, rather than using modeling as a means for enhancing students' reasoning about phenomena or their understanding of the nature of science (van Driel & Verloop, 1999;Windschitl & Thompson, 2006;Acher et al, 2007). In this study, we explore pre-service elementary teachers' engagement in modeling practice in which modeling cycles are informed by information from two sources -children' s literature (VHC) and a scientific account (NG) -regarding butterfly life cycles, a topic that has proven difficult for students and pre-service elementary teachers alike (Cinici, 2013;Kim, 2014).…”