Teacher attitudes and knowledge of earth sciences in New Zealand: A small-scale survey and some implications

Abstract

The introduction of earth sciences into the New Zealand school science curriculum was long campaigned for. Although some elements of earth sciences have formed part of the geography syllabus in the past, those science teachers who did not teach geography might be expected to be unfamiliar with earth sciences. A survey of 156 teachers revealed a wide variation in knowledge of earth sciences, confidence in teaching, and involvement in teaching earth sciences, and showed an association between their confidence in and knowledge of the subject. It is argued that hands-on activities that demonstrate earth processes may help teachers to successfully implement the earth sciences component of the science curriculum.