Developing Preservice Elementary Teachers' Professional Identity as Science Teachers Through Community-Based Service-Learning

Abstract

As preservice elementary teachers (PSETs) engage with the community, they start to develop their professional identity as educators. This longitudinal, mixed methods study examined how participation in a science-focused, community-based service-learning (CBSL) experience, a Family Energy Fair, influenced the professional identity development of 39 PSETs. Pre- and post- surveys were utilized, incorporating quantitative and qualitative components, including students' reflections on their experience. Pre- and post- CBSL findings indicate that there was growth in both individual and social aspects of PSETs' developing identity. Individually, PSETs identified themselves as more knowledgeable about science content, standards, and the need for personal flexibility in teaching. However, they were only slightly more confident about their abilities as science teachers and less likely to see teachers as content experts. Socially, PSETs were more likely to view themselves as facilitators or helpers as a result of the CBSL experience, assisting students in understanding difficult concepts and seeing connections. Pre- and post-CBSL reflections demonstrate that while 80% initially did not understand what CBSL was, by the end of their multidimensional service-learning experience, they greatly expanded their ideas about the identity of teachers as collaborators with the community.