Pre-service Teachers’ Collaborative Learning Experiences in a Science Content Course

Developing an in-depth understanding, skills, and level of comfort to teach through inquiry requires that pre-service teachers themselves learn through an inquiry-based approach that would allow them to explore various dimensions of such an approach. Productive discourse and collaboration, involving extensive interactions among students, constant and mutual exchange of ideas, and higher-order thinking are critical components of inquiry-based learning. Further research is needed to understand the dynamics of collaborative experiences and the process by which science is learned in collaborative team contexts, particularly with teacher candidates who will be responsible for implementing such approaches in their future classrooms. This qualitative study aimed to explore the dynamics of inquiry-based learning experiences of two teams of elementary pre-service teachers in an introductory science content course. Analysis of observation data indicated that although the team engaged in a less structured activity engaged in slightly more productive communication, both teams experienced inequitable levels of involvement by different team members. Team members assumed different roles and varying degrees of participation and engagement in discourse. Our research indicated possible challenges of collaborative interaction and discourse which are critical to consider as teacher educators and researchers. It is imperative that science content and methods courses offer preservice teachers opportunities for direct experience and explicit instruction on effective means of productive interactions and discourse.