Source: European Journal of Teacher Education, Volume 30, Issue 1 February 2007, pages 41 - 61
This qualitative study examined student teachers' views on the value of undertaking small-scale research as part of the secondary teacher training course, and evaluated quality of the research reports prepared by the student teachers in terms of meeting the methodological requirements.
Data was gathered by a questionnaire composed of open-ended question and completed by 76 chemistry and biology student teachers, semi-structured interviews were done with 11 of those who completed the questionnaire and 14 research reports was analysed.
The results indicate that student teachers valued small-scale research project as a learning activity, and gained significant knowledge of research methodology as well as the title/concepts they studied and problem solving skills. Most saw research as offering the potential to provide valuable insights into teaching and learning.