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Phenomena‐based approaches have become popular for elementary school teachers to engage children's innate curiosity in the natural world. However, integrating such phenomena‐based approaches in existing science courses within teacher education programs present potential challenges for both preservice elementary teachers (PSETs) and for laboratory instructors, both of whom may have had limited opportunities to learn or teach science within the student and instructor roles inherent within these approaches. This study uses a convergent parallel mixed‐methods approach to investigate PSETs' perceptions of their laboratory instructor's role within a Physical Science phenomena‐based laboratory curriculum and how it impacts their conceptual development (2 instructors/121 students). We also examine how the two laboratory instructors' discursive moves within the laboratory align with their's and PSETs' perceptions of the instructor role. Qualitative data includes triangulation between a student questionnaire, an instructor questionnaire, and video classroom observations, while quantitative data includes a nine‐item open response pre‐/post‐semester conceptual test. Guided by Mortimer's and Scott's analytic framework, our findings show that students primarily perceive their instructors as a guide/facilitator or an authoritarian/evaluator. Using Linn's knowledge integration framework, analysis of pre‐/post‐tests indicates that student outcomes align with students' perceptions of their instructors, with students who perceive their instructor as a guide/facilitator having significantly better pre‐/post‐outcomes. Additional analysis of scientific discourse from the classroom observations illustrates how one instructor primarily supports PSETs' perspectives on authentic science learning through dialogic–interactive talk moves whereas the other instructor epistemologically stifles personally relevant investigations with authoritative–interactive or authoritative–noninteractive discourse moves. Overall, this study concludes by discussing challenges facing laboratory instructors that need careful consideration for phenomena‐based approaches. 

Preservice science courses typically demonstrate valuable semester impacts on preservice teachers, but less is known about how such courses impact future teacher practice. Using the theory of planned behavior, this study investigates how an undergraduate Physical Science course, focused on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), influences elementary teachers’ longer-term intentions to teach Physical Science. Data sources include a questionnaire with credential-candidate teachers (n=31), who completed a Physical Science course as undergraduates, and interviews with teacher educators, professional development providers, and practicing elementary teachers (n=9). Findings illustrate that credential-candidate teachers did not teach Physical Science during their teaching placements. Such findings were further supported by stakeholders. We detail strategies that could support elementary teachers’ teaching of Physical Science. 

Verification laboratory instruction lacks opportunities for students to pose questions, generate hypotheses, and/or determine experimental procedures. Students in such settings often follow prescribed instructions towards a predetermined outcome. However, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) calls for more inquiry-based approaches through science and engineering practices. This pre/post comparison study investigates the impact of a new guided inquiry-based laboratory curriculum versus an existing verification-based laboratory curriculum on the physical science content knowledge of 98 preservice elementary educators. The results show no differences in disciplinary chemistry/physics items but show a significant difference in integrated items for the guided-inquiry laboratory. Such findings indicate the value of guided versus verification-inquiry for integrated explanations and have important implications for teacher education in light of NGSS. 

Verification laboratory instruction lacks opportunities for students to pose questions, generate hypotheses, and/or determine experimental procedures. Students in such settings often follow prescribed instructions towards a predetermined outcome. However, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) calls for more inquiry-based approaches through science and engineering practices. This pre/post comparison study investigates the impact of a new guided inquiry-based laboratory curriculum versus an existing verification-based laboratory curriculum on the physical science content knowledge of 98 preservice elementary educators. The results show no differences in disciplinary chemistry/physics items but show a significant difference in integrated items for the guided-inquiry laboratory. Such findings indicate the value of guided versus verification-inquiry for integrated explanations and have important implications for teacher education in light of NGSS.