Preservice teacher self-efficacy for enhancing students’ long-term interest in science

There is currently a great concern among educationalists regarding the widespread decline in student interest in school science. As a result of this decline, our future teachers will be faced with the challenge of enhancing their students’ long-term interest in science. Yet it is not known whether they will have the dispositions necessary to achieve this. Teacher self-efficacy is known to be a relatively accurate predictor of teacher behaviour. The purpose of this study was to investigate preservice teachers’ self-efficacy for enhancing students’ long-term interest in science. The participants were 121 preservice primary teachers and 31 preservice secondary science teachers. Quantitative data were gathered using a survey, and qualitative data were gathered by interviews with 13 participants. It was found that both primary and secondary preservice teachers had moderately positive self-efficacy. This was a welcome finding, because it suggests that if these levels of self-efficacy are maintained, then once they become practicing teachers they will have the necessary disposition to make vigorous efforts to enhance their future students’ interest in science.