In-service school teachers' prior achievement in science in external examinations as it relates to science achievement at the end of teacher training

Abstract

This study sought to determine whether there was a relationship between the level of achievement in science at the General Certificate of Education (GCE) O'level and the level of achievement in science at the end of a two-year teacher training course. A questionnaire was administered to a cohort of 206 second-year student teachers from the 1987-89 class at Valsayn Teachers' College, Trinidad. Results of the data analysis showed that the only science background that is related to science achievement is experience, or lack of experience, in physics. In addition, there appeared to be a relationship between the number of GCE O'Level passes and attitude to science