Primary school student teachers’ views about making observations

Abstract

Scientific observation plays a central part in the formation of scientific knowledge and thus it has animportant role in the teaching and learning of science. Despite its importance there are only a few studies that focus on the problems in making observations. The paper begins with the collection offactors effecting scientific observation. In order to find out primary school student teachers’ conceptions of scientific observation 110 student teachers were asked to write what things they connect tomaking scientific observations. For the majority of the student teachers making observations seemsto mean in the first place just noticing things. Only about 30% of the student teachers connectedearlier experiences and knowledge with observations and only 30% of the student teachers mentioned processing of information. To become efficient at it, student teachers need plenty of practice and experience of the different features of scientific observation.