Abstract:
Conceptual understanding and interest in integrated science concepts have
been a challenge to most pre-service teachers. Therefore, this research focused
on pre-service College of Education teachers’ conceptual understanding and
interest in some Integrated Science concepts, mainly basic electronics,
balancing of chemical equations, and infectious and non-infectious diseases.
Second-year pre-service teachers from the three Colleges of Education
affiliated with the University of Education, Winneba, in the Eastern Region of
Ghana, were used as the study population. Simple random sampling technique
was used to select second year Pre-service Teachers. In all, 255 pre-service
teachers were used for the study. The instrument adapted for the study was
achievement tests on integrated science concepts, and a questionnaire on
students interest in integrated science concepts was used to gather the data.
The quantitative data was analysed using frequency, means, standard deviation
and correlation and the qualitative data was thematically analysed. The results
revealed that pre-service teachers conceptual understanding of balancing of
chemical equation were very low, followed by basic electronics but have a
partial scientific understanding of infectious and non-infectious diseases. Preservice
teachers’ exhibited a moderate interest in basic electronics, balancing
of chemical equations, and infectious and non-infectious diseases could be due
to the abstract nature of the concepts. There was no correlation between
interest and performance. It was recommended that tutors at the Colleges of
Education use conceptual change strategies to help improve pre-service
teachers’ conceptual understanding and interest in the selected concepts in
integrated science.
