Research and Trends on Science Teacher Education in England

Abstract

International comparisons point to a substantial difference in attainment between the highest and the lowest attaining students in science. This gap suggests a need for improved pedagogies which can be addressed through pre- and in-service education. Recent government changes aimed at improving the quality of science education have led to the creation of a number of new routes into teaching and a determined focus on raising the number of physics specialist teachers. The process of allocating teacher training numbers by subject specialism rather than by simply identifying ‘science’ places has had an impact on the balance of biological and physical sciences. A new system of financial bursaries rewards students with good degrees. While some success has been achieved in increasing pre-service numbers, teachers still do not appear to be getting the in-service training that they need and want.