Comparing Academic Performance of Elementary Education Majors in General Education Science Courses

PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320137 March 19, 2025 2 / 15 PLOS ONE Elementary Education Majors in General Education Science Courses strategies, assessment). However, in this study we focus on content knowledge due to its foun- dational role [2,9]. In the content area of science, elementary teacher preparation programs often expect preservice teachers to develop content knowledge in college science courses completed prior to entering the program (see Fig 1) [12, 13,14]. As noted by Rice [15], there is an assumption that preservice elementary teachers “entering teacher education [programs] have adequate sci- ence subject matter knowledge” from their prior coursework (p. 1078). These college science courses are often general education courses, not specifically designed for preservice elemen- tary teachers [7,16]. General education courses may not be adequately serving preservice elementary teachers. Since they are not designed for future elementary teachers, they often emphasize topics that are not aligned with topics taught in elementary schools [17]. For example, a general educa- tion physical science course may spend a significant amount of time on nuclear physics and relativity, topics that go well beyond the scope of the elementary curriculum. This could lead to a sense that these courses are not relevant for preservice elementary teachers [18,19]. As a result, elementary education majors may not engage in these courses and learn the content they need. Furthermore, studies have found that the number of, or success in, college science courses

is not associated with other indicators of teacher content knowledge [20–26]. Nowicki, Sullivan-Watts [27], for example, found that the number of college science courses completed was not associated with the accuracy of science content presented in observed lessons. In a review of the research on teacher knowledge in science, van Driel, Hume [9] noted that college science coursework does not guarantee strong science content knowledge. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of general education science courses on preservice elementary teachers, as compared to other students at the same institution. To do this, we draw on data from a large sample of students spanning 10 years of enrollment in six different general education courses. Therefore, our research question is: How do the grades of elementary education majors compare to the grades of other students in general education courses? Literature review Science is an important part of the elementary school curriculum. Educational agencies across the world include science as a part of the elementary level curriculum [26]. This is, in part, because research has repeatedly found that children are natural scientists who are interested in and capable of learning science [28,29,30]. Additionally, learning science supports the devel- opment of foundational knowledge and skills that are useful for other domains [31]. Despite its importance, science is often treated as less important than other content areas in the elementary school curriculum. Studies in the US find that less time is allocated for science

instruction than subjects such as literacy and mathematics [7,32,33]. Teachers regularly report Data availability statement: All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files. Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Fig 1. Model of content knowledge development in many teacher preparation programs. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320137.g001