Preservice Teachers' Ideas About Scientific Modeling and Model-based Inquiry During A Methods of Teaching Course

Scientific modeling is a scientific practice that uses models to prepare elementary and middle school science teachers to engage students using scientific inquiry. Model-based inquiry (MBI) is a pedagogical teaching approach that engages students using scientific inquiry during scientific modeling. However, preservice teachers lack understanding of scientific modeling since they struggle to engage students while teaching using models. Also, the preservice teachers lack vital information about modeling when exposed to model-based teaching since they possess limited views when exposed to model-based teaching.Therefore, this study focused on exploring what the graduate science preservice teachers know about scientific modeling and MBI during a Methods of Teaching Course. In this study, five participants participated initially, and only three completed the study. The interviews were conducted at the beginning and the end of the scientific modeling activity, which required the participants to share their knowledge based on scientific Modeling, and MBI. The participants also completed the scientific modeling assignment, which required them to describe ways they could use while teaching scientific modeling. The study engaged an exploratory case study to analyze the data. The findings indicate that the participants understood scientific modeling before being introduced to scientific modeling activity by portraying the knowledge of evaluate step of scientific modeling. However, the participants did not understand the construct and revise steps of scientific modeling. Also, the participants’ knowledge of scientific modeling improved after the scientific modeling activity through better explanations during the evaluate steps of scientific modeling, but they did not understand the construct and revise step of scientific modeling. Also, the participants exhibited knowledge of all the stages of MBI: Teacher planning for students’ engagement, teacher eliciting students' ideas, teacher supporting students' ongoing changes in thinking, and teacher and students pressing for evidence-based explanations before they were introduced to scientific modeling activity; however, they were limited to the ideas of teacher planning for students’ engagement and teacher and students pressing for evidence-based explanations.Additionally, the participants improved their ideas of MBI at the end of the scientific modeling activity since they demonstrated better explanations in all the stages of MBI. However, the participants were limited to the ideas of teacher planning for students’ engagement and teacher and students pressing for evidence-based explanations. Further, the scientific modeling activity enabled the participants to describe better ways of teaching scientific modeling classes. This study indicates that the participants are not ready to teach scientific modeling and MBI since they could not learn all the steps of scientific modeling, and their knowledge of MBI was limited.