2008 Volume 48 Issue 3 Pages 13-23
A questionnaire survey was conducted on newly employed primary school teachers. The contents included 1) their belief in the usefulness of science, 2) their attitude toward inquiry, 3) their academic attitude, 4) their pleasure in science instruction, 5) their confidence in their observation and experimental skills, and 6) their confidence in instructing individual units, with the following results: (1) Regarding the usefulness of science, more than 90 percent of the newly employed teachers answered affirmatively in regard to material aspects such as daily living and environmental protection. (2) Regarding their attitude toward inquiry, the percentage of teachers who answered that they make plans for observation and experimentation based on a hypothesis (anticipation) was extremely low, at 12.7 percent. This finding suggested that an inquiring attitude was not developed in many of the newly employed teachers. (3) Regarding academic attitude, the number of the newly employed teachers who read books about science and frequently go to museums and science centers was very small, at only a few percentage points. This suggested that they did not aggressively acquire scientific knowledge on their own. (4) Regarding taking pleasure in science instruction, 94.8 percent of the newly employed teachers answered affirmatively, saying, "It is a pleasure to have students make a new discovery through observation and experimentation." (5) Regarding confidence in observation and experimental skills, 80 to 90 percent of the newly employed teachers felt that they had acquired skill in the manipulation of common experimental tools and instruments such as alcohol lamps. On the other hand, the number of them who answered affirmatively about "the making of an electromagnet" was somewhat small, that is, 47.6 percent. This result suggested a lack of experience in making scientific objects. (6) The newly employed teachers who answered that they could teach science with confidence showed the largest percentage of 67.5 for "three forms of water," and the lowest percentage of 31.1 for "the structure and changes of the solid earth", which depended on individual units. For other units, approximately 40 to 60 percent of the newly employed teachers did not have confidence in the instruction of science.
