What can the teacher education learn from preservice science teachers’ experience of participating in CHC?
PhD defence
Doctoral candidate
Abstract
This PhD project explore what teacher education can learn from preservice science teachers' experience of being part of the honours program ‘Copenhagen Honours College’.
Copenhagen Honours College (CHC) is framed as a talent programme with the aim to improve science teaching in schools and the participating preservice teachers are framed as ‘beacons for science teaching’.
The experience of the preservice science teachers is explored by using a constructivist grounded theory method with research on transfer of learning as the point of departure. The project has followed participants from the first two cohorts of CHC.
As the grounded theory method is abductive, the focus of the project has followed the data. The insights about the experience of the preservice teachers have proved relevant for not only understanding the experience of CHC but also for understanding the experience of being a preservice teacher and a new in-service teacher educated to be a ‘beacon for science teaching’.
The main findings in the project revolve around the link between student engagement and sense of community, possible selves and career plans of preservice science teachers and alignment between the respondents' education and the conditions they face as new science teachers.
This PhD project was supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Download the thesis: What can the teacher education learn from preservice science teachers’ experience of participating in Copenhagen Honours College?
Chair of defence
Associate Professor Adrienne Lorelei Traxler, Department of Science Education
Assessment committee
Associate Professor Henriette Tolstrup Holmegaard (chair), Department of Science Education, University of Copenhagen
Professor Doris Jorde, University of Oslo
Docent Morten Rask Petersen, UCL University College
Supervisor
Professor Morten Misfeldt, Department of Science Education, University of Copenhagen
Co-supervisors
Consultant Lotte Rienecker
Associate Professor Jan Sølberg, Department of Science Education, University of Copenhagen