Do Future Teachers Really Believe in Science?

A group of Croatian university students, about to become primary school teachers, were asked to fill out a questionnaire on science. The goal? To find out what they think about science teaching and what they believe science actually is, during a time of school reform. The results reveal mostly positive attitudes, but with an intriguing twist: future teachers blend traditional views—like delivering facts—with modern approaches that focus on experiments and inquiry. Surprisingly, taking a science course did not significantly shift these opinions, and epistemological beliefs seem to develop independently of professional attitudes. This suggests that ideas about how to teach science grow apart from ideas about what science is. The authors stress the need to combine theory and practice in teacher training, promoting inquiry‑based learning, reflective classroom practice, gender equality, effective mentoring, and strong professional networks. Looking ahead, they propose testing targeted curriculum interventions to boost trainee teachers’ coherence and confidence in science teaching.

The study employs a cross‑sectional design with a sample of 212 education students at the University of Zagreb. The questionnaire includes three scales: (i) professional attitude toward science teaching, (ii) epistemological views (realism, constructivism, empiricism) and (iii) perceived effectiveness of the science course. Statistical analysis, based on ANOVA and multiple regression, shows that demographic variables (age, gender) do not explain variance in attitudes, while participation in the science course shows no significant effect (p > .05). Moreover, the correlation between attitudes and epistemological views is weak (r = .12), suggesting distinct cognitive and professional development processes. The findings support the theory of a separation between disciplinary knowledge and pedagogy, highlighting the need for training interventions that integrate scientific content with active teaching methods. A training model based on learning communities is proposed, where trainees collaborate with experienced mentors on scientific inquiry projects, fostering co‑construction of scientific concepts and teaching practices. This approach could narrow the theory‑practice gap, improve epistemological coherence, and boost future teachers' confidence in delivering inquiry‑based science lessons.