Are We on the Way to Successfully Educating Future Citizens?—A Spotlight on Critical Thinking Skills and Beliefs about the Nature of Science among Pre-Service Biology Teachers in Germany

Abstract

A rapidly changing world and constantly expanding knowledge requires education to no longer focus on teaching subject-matter knowledge but also to promote students’ critical thinking (CT) and an accurate understanding of the nature of science (NOS). However, several studies have shown that these skills are still poorly acquired during formal education. Given the cause–effect sequence from teacher education to teacher action to student learning, it seems reasonable to consider individual factors on the part of (pre-service) teachers as possible contributors to such skill gaps. In our study, we therefore investigated how pre-service biology teachers perform on tasks assessing their CT skills and NOS beliefs. In addition, we addressed the questions of whether test performance and/or the relationships between CT skills and NOS beliefs differ as a function of the number of learning opportunities. Our results show that our participants’ CT skills were only in the low–average range. Moreover, 86% of them did not have an informed understanding of NOS. Although participants in the master’s program demonstrated clearly superior CT skills than those in the bachelor’s program, no such difference was found in terms of NOS beliefs. However, there was a consistent advantage for pre-service teachers who were aspiring to a teaching qualification in two (as opposed to only one) scientific subjects. Our findings provide useful implications, particularly with respect to the influence of learning opportunities in university teacher education and the effectiveness of CT- and NOS-based instructional settings. On a more prospective note, our findings underscore that, given the grand global tasks of the 21st century, it seems more important than ever to ensure that pre-service science teachers have sufficient expertise in CT and NOS in order to increase the likelihood that these teachers will be able to successfully help their future students develop these skills.

Explorando el impacto de las cualificaciones docentes en el rendimiento en matemáticas en TIMSS: un análisis trasnacional

“…Es importante mencionar que, para los alumnos de cuarto grado en países en desarrollo, este hallazgo es más relevante que para los alumnos de octavo grado en países en desarrollo. Según Welter et al (2023), la experiencia podría no ser suficiente para incidir en el rendimiento de los estudiantes, ya que se limita a la transmisión de conocimientos en lugar de fomentar el desarrollo de competencias necesarias para enfrentar los desafíos cotidianos. que implica que no se identificaron factores significativos relacionados con el nivel de estudios del docente en los países evaluados.…”

Exploration of Culturally Responsive Teaching and Problem-Based Learning in The Diverse Learning of Prospective Science Teachers

“…However, Fitriani et.al. mentioned that 81% of 100 students have undeveloped critical thinking skills (Fitriani et al, 2019). In line with Fitriani, Welter in his research stated that the critical thinking skills of students in Germany are still low (Welter et al, 2023).…”

Investigating The Locus of Control and Epistemological Beliefs of Social Studies Teacher Candidates in Turkey

“…Indeed, it is known that epistemological beliefs and internal locus of control have a significant impact on individuals' thoughts and behaviors; raising individuals with advanced epistemological beliefs and an internal locus of control in the educational process is of great importance for achieving the ideal of a democratic society. "Becoming a teacher holds invaluable importance in developing the competencies of future citizens and thus making a significant contribution to addressing future societal issues" [73]. Therefore, there is a greater need for studies that determine the levels of epistemological beliefs and locus of control among teacher candidates, that identify whether there is a relationship between these factors, and that provide recommendations for addressing the identified issues.…”