The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate prospective biology teachers’ conceptions of teaching
biology and identify how these conceptions revealed their strategies for helping their future students’ learning
of biology. The study utilized drawings, narratives and interviews to investigate the nature of the prospective
biology teachers’ conceptions in a secondary science teacher education programme, in a university located in
the south-west of the USA. Data analysis revealed that three conceptions of teaching biology were common
among the participants: (1) teaching biology is an interactive process; (2) teaching biology is a lecture-based
process; and (3) learning biology is a visual process. A common theme that underpinned the three conceptions
was the simple perspective of using lectures, apparatus and models within interactive processes and lectures as
reference points to help students to attach onto biology concepts rather than relating the reference points to
prior knowledge and to cognitive activities that foster optimal learning.

• Student teachers’ conceptions of teaching biology

Share :