The Scientific Curiosity of Preservice Elementary Teachers and Confidence for Teaching Specific Science Topics

This study explored whether, and how, preservice elementary teachers’ scientific curiosity related to their confidence for science teaching. A group of 29 preservice, elementary teachers in the U.S. engaged in a curiosity journaling strategy across a 16-week scientific inquiry course. Their expressions of curiosity were coded using Luce and Hsi’s framework of curiosity. Whether expressions of curiosity related to their confidence for teaching associated science topics was examined statistically. In addition, the categories of their curiosity were coded and are described across eight journal entries. The nature of the relationship between scientific curiosity and science teaching confidence, as well as the nature of the curiosity they expressed, are described. Generally, curiosity about specific scientific phenomena and changes in confidence for teaching those topics did not relate to one another. Relationships did emerge, however, among categories of curiosity and participants’ confidence for teaching seven specific science topics.