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SAUDI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS’ BELIEFS: TEACHING SCIENCE IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM

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ABSTRACT

This study explored Saudi elementary school science teachers’ beliefs about the process of teaching and learning science. This involved the exploration of their views about the new Saudi science curriculum, which emphasizes critical thinking and problem solving. Comprehensive interviews were held in 8 schools with 4 male and 6 female—2 of whom were from private schools—science teachers. The interviews were analyzed to identify and assess common themes among their beliefs as well as associations between their beliefs and self-reported classroom practices. The findings revealed perceptual differences between teaching the old and the new science curricula and also that these science teachers were challenged by available class time, the student–teacher ratio, and the lack of laboratory space, equipment, and administrative support. It appears that the more interactive and group-oriented activities that formed the instructional foundation of the new curriculum have increased enjoyment for teaching science and led students to better comprehension of scientific concepts.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

    Amani K. Hamdan Alghamdi

  2. King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Misfer Saud Al-Salouli

Authors
  1. Amani K. Hamdan Alghamdi
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  2. Misfer Saud Al-Salouli
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amani K. Hamdan Alghamdi.

APPENDIX

APPENDIX

Survey Questions

Please thoroughly provide your answers to the following questions:

  1. 1.

    How long have you been teaching science?

  2. 2.

    What are the challenges and joys you experience as a science teacher with respect to the students themselves?

  3. 3.

    How do you feel about teaching science in upper grades?

  4. 4.

    I know you are teaching different subject matters in this classroom. So, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest, how much do you like teaching science? Could you explain?

  5. 5.

    How does teaching science compare to other subjects? Are there specific things you like and dislike about teaching science?

  6. 6.

    Do you think it is important for an elementary teacher to have strong science skills? Do higher grades of elementary teachers need more science skills than lower elementary grade teachers?

  7. 7.

    How good were you in science prior to becoming a teacher? Did your performance change over time?

  8. 8.

    Some people argue that in order to teach science effectively, you must follow the textbook closely. What do you think about this argument?

  9. 9.

    What do you think about the following statement: If a student is confused about science, the teacher should go over the material again more slowly.

  10. 10.

    How important is memorization in science? Can someone be good in science without being good at memorizing? How?

  11. 11.

    What do you think of having children work in groups in science class?

  12. 12.

    When you look at students’ work on complex problems, do you focus on the final answer or on their procedures of getting the answer?

  13. 13.

    What are the factors that you always keep in mind when planning a lesson?

  14. 14.

    To what extent do the following factors affect your teaching problem solving? (probe for teachers’ science content knowledge, teachers’ pedagogical knowledge, teachers’ teaching experience, students’ ability, class size, class time, teaching materials, etc.)

  15. 15.

    In what ways does your school administration support teaching science through problem solving, and to what degree do they get in the way? (probe for parents, other teachers, observing each other as part of improving instructional strategies)

  16. 16.

    Have you participated in any seminars or workshops for science recently? Did other teachers in this school participate? Do you think more seminars or workshops are needed for science teachers? Why or why not?

  17. 17.

    Is there anything that you think is important about teaching science that you haven’t said?

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Hamdan Alghamdi, A.K., Saud Al-Salouli, M. SAUDI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS’ BELIEFS: TEACHING SCIENCE IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM. Int J of Sci and Math Educ 11, 501–525 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-012-9353-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-012-9353-0

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