Primary School Student Teachers’ Perceived and Actual Knowledge in Biology
Keywords:
actual knowledge, biology education, perceived knowledge, student teachers
Abstract
Individuals’ perceptions of their knowledge can have an important role in shaping their cognition and influencing their behaviour. However, there has been a scarcity of studies in biology on how perceived knowledge relates to actual knowledge. The focus of this article is on quantitative results analysing and interpreting student teachers’ perceived knowledge of biological content in relation to their actual animal and species name knowledge linked to the ecosystem in which they live. K-means cluster analysis and ANOVA were used. The results show a high- and low-level perceived knowledge cluster group among the participants. They further indicate that the difference in actual animal and species name knowledge between
these cluster groups remained the same during the five years of the study. The student teachers with a higher level of perceived knowledge tended to have better actual animal and species name knowledge than those in the low-level group. The actual animal name knowledge in these cluster groups was similar with regard to the local Finnish ecosystems but differed concerning the exotic species by year. The year that the participants enrolled in the study programme had an impact on their actual animal and species name knowledge. Strategies for coping with work-related demands and maintaining engagement in one’s career would be important additions to the teacher education curriculum.
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References
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Palmberg, I., Berg, I., Jeronen E., Kärkkäinen, S., Norrgård-Sillanpää, P., Persson, C., Vilkonis, R., &
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Palmberg, I., Jeronen, E., & Yli-Panula, E. (2008). Luokanopettajaksi opiskelevien tiedot ja käsitykset opetussuunnitelman sisältämistä biologian, maantieteen ja terveystiedon perustiedoista opiskelun alkuvaiheessa [Cognitions and conceptions of primary school student teachers about their basic knowledge in biology, geography and health education]. Finnish Research Association for Subject Didactics, Studies in Subject Didactics, 298, 51–64.
Palmberg, I., Jeronen, E., Svens, M., Yli-Panula, E., Andersson, J., & Jonsson, G. (2011). Blivande
klasslärares (åk 1-6) baskunskaper i Danmark, Finland och Sverige – I. Kunskaper och uppfattningar om människans biologi [The level of the basic knowledge of primary school teacher training students in Denmark, Finland and Sweden. I. Knowledge and conceptions of the human biology, English abstract]. Nordic Studies in Science Education, 7(1), 54–70.
Palmberg, I., Jonsson, G., Jeronen, E., & Yli-Panula, E. (2016). Blivande lärares uppfattningar och
förståelse av baskunskap i ekologi i Danmark, Finland och Sverige [Primary school student teachers´ conceptions, understanding of basic knowledge in ecology in Denmark, Finland and Sweden]. Nordic Studies in Science Education, 12(2), 197–217.
Patrick, P., Byrne, J., Tunnicliffe, S. D., Asunta, T., Carvalho, G., Havu-Nuutinen, S., Sigurjonsdottir,
H., Oskarsdottir, G., & Tracana, R. B. (2013). Students (ages 6, 10, 15 years) in six countries knowledge of animals. Nordic Studies in Science Education, 9(1), 18–32.
Patrick, P., & Tunnicliffe, S. (2011). What plants and animals do early childhood and primary students name? Where do they see them? Journal of Science Education and Technology, 20(5), 630–642.
Randler, C. (2008). Pupils’ factual knowledge about vertebrate species. Journal of Baltic Science
Education, 7(1), 48–54.
Roschelle, J. (1995). Learning in interactive environments: Prior knowledge and new experience. In J. H. Falk & L. D. Dierking (Eds.), Public institutions for personal learning: Establishing a research agenda (pp. 37–51). Washington, DC: American Association of Museums.
Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4–14.
Shulman, L. S. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57(1), 1–22.
Stiles, W. B. (1993). Quality control in qualitative research. Clinical Psychology Review, 13(6), 593–618.
Strike, K. A., & Posner, G. J. (1985). A conceptual change view of learning and understanding. In L. H. T. West & A. L. Pines (Eds.), Cognitive structure and conceptual change (pp. 211–231). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
Södervik, I., Mikkilä-Erdmann, M., & Vilppu, H. (2014). Promoting the Understanding of
Photosynthesis Among Elementary School Student Teachers Through Text Design. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 25(5), 581–600.
Tashakkori, A., & Teddlie, C. (1998). Mixed methodology: Combining qualitative and quantitative
approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Taylor, P. W. (2011). Respect for nature: A theory of environmental ethics. New Jersey & Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
The Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE) (1994, 2004, 2014). The Finnish national core
curriculum for basic education. Helsinki: Opetushallitus.
Tormala, Z. L., & Petty, R. E. (2007). Contextual contrast and perceived knowledge Exploring the
implications for persuasion. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43(1), 17–30.
Volet, S., Vauras, M., Khosa, D., & Iiskala, T. (2013). Metacognitive regulation in collaborative learning: Conceptual developments and methodological contextualizations. In S. Volet & M. Vauras (Eds.), Interpersonal regulation of learning and motivation. Methodological advances (pp. 67–101). New York, NY: Routledge.
Weinert, F. E. (Ed.) (2002). Leistungsmessung in Schulen [Education Assesment in Schools]. Weinheim: Beltz.
Williamson, G. R. (2005). Illustrating triangulation in mixed-methods nursing research. Nurse
Researcher, 12(4), 7–318.
Yli-Panula E., & Matikainen, E. (2013). Pre service teachers´ ability to name nesting animals in
ecosystems – a perspective of biodiversity. In J. White (Ed.), Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education. Retrieved from http://www.aare.edu.au/index.php
Yli-Panula, E., & Matikainen, E. (2014). Students’ and student teachers’ ability to name animals in
ecosystems – a perspective of animal knowledge and biodiversity. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 13(4), 559–572.
Yli-Panula, E., & Pollari, H. (2013). Opettajaopiskelijoiden tietämys käsitteistä lajintuntemus,
biodiversiteetti ja kestävä kehitys ja niiden välisistä suhteista [The consciousness of pre-service
teachers in the concepts; species identification, biodiversity and sustainable development and their relation]. Finnish Research Association for Subject Didactics, Studies in Subject Didactics, 7, 35–49.
Ziegler, B., & Montplaisir, L. (2014). Student Perceived and Determined Knowledge of Biology
Concepts in an Upper-Level Biology Course. CBE Life Science Education 13(2), 322–330.
Achor, E. E., & Agbidye, A. (2014). Students’ perceived difficult concepts and it’s influence on
their performance in basic science in Makurdi Metropolis: Implications for basic science teachers
production. NASHERJ, 12(1), 24–31.
Ali, A. R., Toriman, M. E., & Gasim, M. B. (2014). Academic achievement in biology with suggested
solutions in selected secondary schools in Kano State, Nigeria. International Journal of Education and Research, 2(11), 215–224.
Appleton, K. (2010). Elementary Science Teaching. In S. K. Abell & N. G. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of Research in Science Teaching (pp. 493–535). New York, NY: Taylor & Francis group.
Balas, B., & Momsen, J. L. (2014). Attention “blinks†differently for plants and animals. CBE – Life
Sciences education, 13(3), 437–443. doi:10.1187/cbe.14-05-0080
Braun, M., Buyer, R., & Randler, C. (2010). Cognitive and emotional evaluation of two educational
outdoor programs dealing with non-native bird species. International Journal of Science and
Environmental Education, 5(2), 151–168.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2011). Research methods in education (7th ed.). London, UK: Routledge.
Davidson, A. R., Yantis, S., Norwood, M., & Montano, D. E. (1985). Amount of information about the attitude object and attitude-behaviour consistency. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49(5), 1184–1198.
Dori, Y. J., & Avargil, S. (2015). Promoting metacognitive skills in the context of chemistry education. In I. Eilks & A. Hofstein (Eds.), Relevant Chemistry Education. From Theory to Practice (pp. 119–141). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Eskola J., & Suoranta, J. (2014). Johdatus laadulliseen tutkimukseen [Introduction to the qualitative research]. Tampere: Vastapaino.
Evans, S., Dixon, S., & Heslop, J. (2006). Pupils’ knowledge of birds: How good is it and where does it come from? School Science Review, 88(322), 93–98.
Fadel, C., Bialik, M., & Trilling, B. (2015). Four-dimensional education: The competencies learners need to succeed (1st ed.). Boston, MA: Center for Curriculum Redesign.
Faculty of Education, the University of Turku (2014). The study guides to the studies in the Faculty of Educational Sciences 2014–2016. Turku: Painosalama.
Hungerford, H. R., & Volk, T. L. (1990). Changing learner behavior through environmental education. The Journal of Environmental Education, 21(3), 8–21.
Jeronen, E., Jeronen, J., & Raustia, H. (2009). Environmental education in Finland – A case study
of environmental education in nature schools. International Journal of Environmental & Science
Education, 4(1), 1–23.
Johnson, P. T. (1994). Effects of outcome-relevant involvement and prior information on persuasion. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 30(6), 556–579.
Klingenberg, K., & Brönnecke, J. (2011). Was blieb von Schule? - revisited: biologische Basiskenntnisse Erwachsener [What remains from school? - revisited; Basic biological knowledge among adults]. In S. Holzheu & S. F. X. Bogner (Eds.), Tagung der Fachsektion Didaktik der Biologie im VBiO (pp. 134–136). Bayreuth: Universität Bayreuth.
Kumpulainen, T. (Ed.) (2014). Teachers in Finland 2013 – The National Board of Education. Koulutuksen seurantaraportit 8 [Report on Education, 8]. Tampere: Juvenes Print – Suomen Yliopistopaino.
Kunter, M., Klusmann, U., Baumert, J., Richter, D., Voss, T., & Hachfeld, A. (2013). Professional
competence of teachers: Effects on instructional quality and student development. Journal of
Educational Psychology, 105(3), 805–820. doi: 10.1037/a0032583
Liakopoulou, M. (2011). The professional competence of teachers: Which qualities, attitudes, skills and knowledge contribute to a teacher’s effectiveness? International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 1(21), 66–78.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Cuba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Lindemann-Matthies, P., & Bose, E. (2008). How many species are there? Public understanding a and awareness of biodiversity in Switzerland. Human Ecology, 36(5), 731–742.
Metsämuuronen, J. (2009). Tutkimuksen tekemisen perusteet ihmistieteissä. 4. tutkijalaitos. [The
principles of research methods in the humanities] (4th ed.) Helsinki: International Methelp.
Niemi, H., & Jakku-Sihvonen, R. (2006). Research-based teacher education in Finland. In R. Jakku
Sivonen & H. Niemi (Eds.) Research-based teacher education in Finland –Reflections by Finnish teacher educators (pp. 31–50). Turku: Finnish Educational Research Association.
Olkinuora, E. (1990). Tiedeopetuksen uudistaminen: taustasta, tavoitteista ja haasteista opettajille [Renewing the science teaching: its background, aims and challenges]. In S. Paananen (Ed.), Entä jos planeetat ovatkin kuutioita? Tiedeopiskelua koulussa (pp. 19–38). Helsinki: Valtion painatuskeskus.
Palmberg, I., Berg, I., Jeronen E., Kärkkäinen, S., Norrgård-Sillanpää, P., Persson, C., Vilkonis, R., &
Yli-Panula, E. (2015). Nordic-Baltic student teachers’ identification of and interest in plant and animal species - The importance of species identification and biodiversity for sustainable development. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 26(6), 549–571.
Palmberg, I., Jeronen, E., & Yli-Panula, E. (2008). Luokanopettajaksi opiskelevien tiedot ja käsitykset opetussuunnitelman sisältämistä biologian, maantieteen ja terveystiedon perustiedoista opiskelun alkuvaiheessa [Cognitions and conceptions of primary school student teachers about their basic knowledge in biology, geography and health education]. Finnish Research Association for Subject Didactics, Studies in Subject Didactics, 298, 51–64.
Palmberg, I., Jeronen, E., Svens, M., Yli-Panula, E., Andersson, J., & Jonsson, G. (2011). Blivande
klasslärares (åk 1-6) baskunskaper i Danmark, Finland och Sverige – I. Kunskaper och uppfattningar om människans biologi [The level of the basic knowledge of primary school teacher training students in Denmark, Finland and Sweden. I. Knowledge and conceptions of the human biology, English abstract]. Nordic Studies in Science Education, 7(1), 54–70.
Palmberg, I., Jonsson, G., Jeronen, E., & Yli-Panula, E. (2016). Blivande lärares uppfattningar och
förståelse av baskunskap i ekologi i Danmark, Finland och Sverige [Primary school student teachers´ conceptions, understanding of basic knowledge in ecology in Denmark, Finland and Sweden]. Nordic Studies in Science Education, 12(2), 197–217.
Patrick, P., Byrne, J., Tunnicliffe, S. D., Asunta, T., Carvalho, G., Havu-Nuutinen, S., Sigurjonsdottir,
H., Oskarsdottir, G., & Tracana, R. B. (2013). Students (ages 6, 10, 15 years) in six countries knowledge of animals. Nordic Studies in Science Education, 9(1), 18–32.
Patrick, P., & Tunnicliffe, S. (2011). What plants and animals do early childhood and primary students name? Where do they see them? Journal of Science Education and Technology, 20(5), 630–642.
Randler, C. (2008). Pupils’ factual knowledge about vertebrate species. Journal of Baltic Science
Education, 7(1), 48–54.
Roschelle, J. (1995). Learning in interactive environments: Prior knowledge and new experience. In J. H. Falk & L. D. Dierking (Eds.), Public institutions for personal learning: Establishing a research agenda (pp. 37–51). Washington, DC: American Association of Museums.
Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4–14.
Shulman, L. S. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57(1), 1–22.
Stiles, W. B. (1993). Quality control in qualitative research. Clinical Psychology Review, 13(6), 593–618.
Strike, K. A., & Posner, G. J. (1985). A conceptual change view of learning and understanding. In L. H. T. West & A. L. Pines (Eds.), Cognitive structure and conceptual change (pp. 211–231). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
Södervik, I., Mikkilä-Erdmann, M., & Vilppu, H. (2014). Promoting the Understanding of
Photosynthesis Among Elementary School Student Teachers Through Text Design. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 25(5), 581–600.
Tashakkori, A., & Teddlie, C. (1998). Mixed methodology: Combining qualitative and quantitative
approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Taylor, P. W. (2011). Respect for nature: A theory of environmental ethics. New Jersey & Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
The Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE) (1994, 2004, 2014). The Finnish national core
curriculum for basic education. Helsinki: Opetushallitus.
Tormala, Z. L., & Petty, R. E. (2007). Contextual contrast and perceived knowledge Exploring the
implications for persuasion. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43(1), 17–30.
Volet, S., Vauras, M., Khosa, D., & Iiskala, T. (2013). Metacognitive regulation in collaborative learning: Conceptual developments and methodological contextualizations. In S. Volet & M. Vauras (Eds.), Interpersonal regulation of learning and motivation. Methodological advances (pp. 67–101). New York, NY: Routledge.
Weinert, F. E. (Ed.) (2002). Leistungsmessung in Schulen [Education Assesment in Schools]. Weinheim: Beltz.
Williamson, G. R. (2005). Illustrating triangulation in mixed-methods nursing research. Nurse
Researcher, 12(4), 7–318.
Yli-Panula E., & Matikainen, E. (2013). Pre service teachers´ ability to name nesting animals in
ecosystems – a perspective of biodiversity. In J. White (Ed.), Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education. Retrieved from http://www.aare.edu.au/index.php
Yli-Panula, E., & Matikainen, E. (2014). Students’ and student teachers’ ability to name animals in
ecosystems – a perspective of animal knowledge and biodiversity. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 13(4), 559–572.
Yli-Panula, E., & Pollari, H. (2013). Opettajaopiskelijoiden tietämys käsitteistä lajintuntemus,
biodiversiteetti ja kestävä kehitys ja niiden välisistä suhteista [The consciousness of pre-service
teachers in the concepts; species identification, biodiversity and sustainable development and their relation]. Finnish Research Association for Subject Didactics, Studies in Subject Didactics, 7, 35–49.
Ziegler, B., & Montplaisir, L. (2014). Student Perceived and Determined Knowledge of Biology
Concepts in an Upper-Level Biology Course. CBE Life Science Education 13(2), 322–330.
Published
2017-12-22
How to Cite
Yli-Panula, E., Jeronen, E., & Pongsakdi, N. (2017). Primary School Student Teachers’ Perceived and Actual Knowledge in Biology. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 7(4), 125-146. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.367
Section
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