The Relationship of Science Teaching Self Efficacy and Outcome Expectancy to the Draw-a-Science-Teacher-Teaching Checklist.

One concern of science educators is the beliefs of preservice teachers toward science teaching. Consequently, the goal of developing positive beliefs in preservice teachers emerges frequently in science education courses and programs. In science teaching contexts, self-efficacy is an individual's belief that one has the ability to effectively perform science teaching behaviors as well as the belief that his or her students can learn science given factors external to the teacher. This paper reports the results of an investigation into the possible relationship between self self-efficacy beliefs and self-perceptions as a science teacher. (Contains 18 references.) (CCM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made trom the ongmai document. THE RELATIONSHIP OF SCIENCE TEACHING SELF EFFICACY AND OUTCOME EXPECTANCY TO THE DRAW-A-SCIENCETEACHER-TEACHING CHECKLIST Kevin Finson, Western Illinois University Iris M. Riggs, California State University San Bernardino Joseph Jesunathadas, California State University San Bernardino One concern of science educators is the beliefs of preservice science teachers toward science teaching. Consequently, the goal of developing positive beliefs in preservice teachers emerges frequently in science education courses and programs. Studies have indicated that, particularly at the elementary school level, low comfort levels toward science and/or science teaching tend to lead to the sporadic teaching of science, the teaching of science during inadequate blocks of time, or the omission of science instruction from the school day (Finson & Brewer, 1994; Riggs & Enochs, 1990; Wislon & Scharmann, 1994; Koballa & Crawley, 1985). In science teaching contexts, self-efficacy is an individual's belief that one has the ability to effectively perform science teaching behaviors (called personal science teaching efficacy) as well as one's belief that his/her students can learn science given factors external to the teacher (called science teaching outcome expectancy) (Ramey-Gassert, Shroyer & Stayer, 1996). When teachers have low self-efficacy, their teaching tends to be characterized by authoritative, teacher-centered roles with a less clear understanding of the various developmental levels of their students. Rubeck and Enochs (1990) reported that teachers who were weak in content background tended to have significantly lower personal efficacy than did teachers with strong content backgrounds. In contrast, teachers with high self-efficacy tended to teach in way I PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 2 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as ived from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions staled in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. characterized by the use of inquiry approaches, more student-centered thought, beliefs that they can help any student overcome learning problems and succeed, and were more knowledgeable of their students' developmental levels. One logical conclusion is that the way preservice teachers view themselves and their roles in a science teaching context is at least partially derived from their self-efficacy. The attitudes students possess with respect to science may also be related to the ways they perceive themselves in the role of being a scientist. Yager and Yager (1985), for example, found that if the work in which scientists engage is viewed as being unpleasant, then one's perception of a scientist (or the prospect of becoming a scientist) becomes more negative. Investigations into the perceptions of scientists have occurred for decades, with a notable early study being Mead and Metraux's work in 1957. Their work led later researchers to examine elements of students' perceptions which could be classified as stereotypical (Chambers, 1983; Schibeci & Sorensen, 1993; Ward, 1977). The elements of one's perceptions about scientists are revealed through drawings one makes of a scientist. These stereotypical elements were refined by Chambers (1983) in his Draw-A-Scientist Test and later organized into a quantifiable checklist (the DAST-C) format by Finson, Beaver and Cramond (1995). Thomas and Pederson (1998) reasoned that since students' drawings reveal much about their perceptions of scientists, drawings might also reveal students' perceptions about themselves as science teachers. In their work, Thomas and Pederson began with the DAST-C and revised it to include elements they judged to be characteristic of science classrooms and science