Upper primary science teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning of science and their practices in relation to their gender

Teacher beliefs and practices play an important role in the teaching learning processes. This article explores the diverse pedagogical beliefs held by teachers, aiming to illuminate the intricate connections between these beliefs and their classroom practices. The present study was conducted (i) to identify elementary science teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning of science with respect to gender and (ii) to study the difference between beliefs and practices with respect to gender. The common aspects of teaching and learning such as teaching strategies, learning of science and student roles were taken into account to reveals teachers’ beliefs. The study used a mixed method design. Ten upper primary science teachers were selected using purposive sampling techniques. Data were collected by questionnaire and classroom observation schedule. The findings showed that there was alignment between the beliefs of male and female teachers regarding the importance of understanding the scientific process, the benefits of problembased learning, and the role of students in science education. Notable differences were observed in the beliefs of male and female teachers concerning teaching strategies. Additionally, a significant disparity existed between the beliefs and practices of male and female teachers in terms of providing opportunities to students and emphasizing the importance of students’ roles and performance in response to instruction with female teachers have more practice than male teachers.