Productive Struggles in Planning for Ambitious Science Teaching: Insights From Elementary Preservice Teachers

ABSTRACT

This study investigated elementary preservice teachers' (PTs) experiences in planning to elicit students' ideas within ambitious science teaching (AST). The study involved 53 elementary PTs in the context of a science teaching methods course at the elementary education program at a public university in Türkiye. Data were collected through PTs' individual written reflections on their planning for eliciting students' ideas in AST and collaboratively developed group lesson plans and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed PTs' struggles, perceived reasons for those struggles, criteria used to evaluate phenomena, explanations, and questions during planning, and the support systems and navigation moves used to address challenges in phenomenon selection, gapless explanation development, and question creation. The findings also showed the interconnectedness of phenomena, explanations, and questions, with struggles in one area shaping planning decisions in others. Collaborative planning, instructor guidance, conducting research, and (pre)rehearsals emerged as important support systems in helping PTs navigate these challenges. Group lesson plans complemented the reflections by showing how planning decisions were represented in collaborative instructional products. This research contributes to understanding how elementary PTs experience, navigate, and make sense of challenges involved in planning to elicit students' ideas and offers implications for practice‐based teacher education.