Assessing physics pre-service teachers’ conceptions about experimental design

Abstract

This study assessed pre-service physics teachers’ conceptions about experimental design. Study participants included 90 pre-service physics teachers studying at a normal university in China. A questionnaire survey design with an open-ended questionnaire was used. Regarding findings, this study identified ten key themes regarding pre-service physics teachers’ views on experimental design, such as “Advancing Scientific Research through Design”, with a notable interest in the role of experimental data. In addition, gender differences were observed in their focus on data, research questions, with females emphasizing process and rigor, while males focused on outcomes. Finally, this study revealed both alignment and discrepancies with a predefined theoretical framework in pre-service teachers’ conceptions of experimental design, highlighting the need for improvements in teacher training curricula.