Empowerment and Confidence: Pre-service Teachers Learning to Teach Science through a Program of Self-Regulated Learning

This article builds on a previous pilot study (Corrigan & Taylor, 2004) that explored the implementationof a program of self-regulated learning (SRL) with a small group of pre-service teachers in an elementary science course. A first year cohort of pre-service teachers was exposed to a thirteen week, two-staged program of self-regulated learning in science education. The program offered students a significantamount of flexibility and freedom in what they investigated and how they did so, in conjunction with ongoing support when required. Nineteen students were interviewed prior to and after completing the program. By the end of the program, the majority of students involved in the study reported a more positive attitude to science and significantly enhanced confidence in their ability to teach elementary science.Although difficult to measure, students believed that they were more competent to teach primary science. Furthermore, they were able to identify aspects of the SRL environment that had contributed to this change in attitude.