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Pre-service Science Teachers' Neuroscience Literacy: Neuromyths and a Professional Understanding of Learning and Memory.

ABSTRACT: Transferring current research findings on the topic of learning and memory to "brain-based" learning in schools is of great interest among teachers. However, numerous international studies demonstrate that both pre-service and in-service teachers do not always succeed. Instead, they transfer numerous misconceptions about neuroscience, known as neuromyths, into pedagogical practice. As a result, researchers call for more neuroscience in teacher education in order to create a professional understanding of learning and memory. German pre-service science teachers specializing in biology complete neuroscientific modules (human biology/animal physiology) during their studies because they are expected to teach these topics to their students. Thus, they are required to demonstrate a certain degree of neuroscience literacy. In the present study, 550 pre-service science teachers were surveyed on neuromyths and scientific concepts about learning and memory. Pre-service science teachers' scientific concepts increased over the course of their training. However, beliefs in neuromyths were independent of participants' status within teacher education (first-year students, advanced students, and post-graduate trainees). The results showed that 10 neuromyths were endorsed by more than 50% of prospective science teachers. Beliefs in the existence of learning styles (93%) and the effectiveness of Brain Gym (92%) were most widespread. Many myths were endorsed even though a large share of respondents had thematically similar scientific concepts; endorsement of neuromyths was found to be largely independent of professional knowledge as well as theory-based and biography-based learning beliefs about neuroscience and learning. Our results suggest that neuromyths can exist in parallel to scientific concepts, professional knowledge and beliefs and are resistant to formal education. From the perspective of conceptual change theory, they thus exhibit characteristic traits of misconceptions that cannot simply be counteracted with increased neuroscientific knowledge. On the basis of our study's findings, it can be concluded that new teacher programs considering neuromyths as change-resistant misconceptions are needed to professionalize pre-service science teachers' neuroscience literacy. For this, an intensive web of exchange between the education field and neuroscientists is required, not just to deploy the latest scientific insights to refute neuromyths on learning and memory, but also to identify further neuromyths.

SUBMITTER: Grospietsch F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6413703 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Pre-service Science Teachers' Neuroscience Literacy: Neuromyths and a Professional Understanding of Learning and Memory.

Grospietsch Finja F Mayer Jürgen J

Frontiers in human neuroscience 20190214

Transferring current research findings on the topic of learning and memory to "brain-based" learning in schools is of great interest among teachers. However, numerous international studies demonstrate that both pre-service and in-service teachers do not always succeed. Instead, they transfer numerous misconceptions about neuroscience, known as neuromyths, into pedagogical practice. As a result, researchers call for more neuroscience in teacher education in order to create a professional understa ...[more]

PMID: 30890924

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Project description:In recent decades, Cognitive Neuroscience has evolved from a rather arcane field trying to understand how the brain supports mental activities, to one that contributes to public policies. In this article, we focus on the contributions from Cognitive Neuroscience to Education. This line of research has produced a great deal of information that can potentially help in the transformation of Education, promoting interventions that help in several domains including literacy and math learning, social skills and science. The growth of the Neurosciences has also created a public demand for knowledge and a market for neuro-products to fulfill these demands, through books, booklets, courses, apps and websites. These products are not always based on scientific findings and coupled to the complexities of the scientific theories and evidence, have led to the propagation of misconceptions and the perpetuation of neuromyths. This is particularly harmful for educators because these misconceptions might make them abandon useful practices in favor of others not sustained by evidence. In order to bridge the gap between Education and Neuroscience, we have been conducting, since 2013, a set of activities that put educators and scientists to work together in research projects. The participation goes from discussing the research results of our projects to being part and deciding aspects of the field interventions. Another strategy consists of a course centered around the applications of Neuroscience to Education and their empirical and theoretical bases. These two strategies have to be compared to popularization efforts that just present Neuroscientific results. We show that the more the educators are involved in the discussion of the methodological bases of Neuroscientific knowledge, be it in the course or as part of a stay, the better they manage the underlying concepts. We argue that this is due to the understanding of scientific principles, which leads to a more profound comprehension of what the evidence can and cannot support, thus shielding teachers from the false allure of some commercial neuro-products. We discuss the three approaches and present our efforts to determine whether they lead to a strong understanding of the conceptual and empirical base of Neuroscience.

Project description:Background The healthy development of preschool education requires the support of stable and high-quality preschool teachers. However, there are still many deficiencies in preschool teachers in China at present. For pre-service kindergarten teachers, it is very significant to improve their career adaptability and enter professional positions smoothly. Numerous studies have found the effect of professional identification on the career adaptability of pre-service kindergarten teachers, but few studies have explored the potential influencing mechanisms among variables. On the basis of previous studies, this study explores the chain mediating effect of teacher efficacy and self-leadership on the relationship between professional identification and career adaptability of pre-service kindergarten teachers. Methods Three hundred eighty-eight participants were recruited from two schools in Zhejiang Province. After screening, 377 questionnaires for pre-service kindergarten teachers were used for data analysis. The questionnaire included self-reported demographic information, professional identification, teacher efficacy, self-leadership, and career adaptability. We collected information on variables by using PISNS, TSE, RSLQ, and CFI, and analyzed the data using SPSS. Results (1) Professional identification and career adaptability have a significant positive correlation. (2) The influence of occupational identification on the career adaptability of pre-service kindergarten teachers was carried out in three different ways: professional identification → teacher efficacy → career adaptability, professional identification → self-leadership → career adaptability, and professional identification → teacher efficacy → self-leadership → career adaptability. Conclusion Teacher efficacy and self-leadership may mediate the relationship between professional identification and career adaptability of pre-service kindergarten teachers. This study highlighted the complexity of the link between preschool teachers’ professional identification and career adaptability. The paper also discussed the limitations and implications of this study.

Dataset Information

Pre-service Science Teachers' Neuroscience Literacy: Neuromyths and a Professional Understanding of Learning and Memory.

Publications

Pre-service Science Teachers' Neuroscience Literacy: Neuromyths and a Professional Understanding of Learning and Memory.

Similar Datasets

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