Analysis and Use of a Task for Identifying Conceptions of Teaching Science

An interview task to identify teachers' conceptions of teaching science was developed. Analysis of the task allows the identification of different components of the conception including the nature of science, learning, learner characteristics, rationale for instruction, preferred instructional techniques and their relationship to form a conception of teaching science. Use with pre-service science teachers demonstrated that conceptions can be analyzed for internal consistency and stability over time in addition to differences within the components themselves.