Fostering pre-service primary school teachers’ ability to recognize differences in pupils’ understanding of technical systems

Abstract Pupils benefit from adaptive instruction and feedback their teachers. A prerequisite for providing is that teachers’ diagnostic ability enables them to correctly perceive pupils’ skill level. short course has been developed improve primary school engineering. Based on Nickerson’s anchoring adjustment model, the participants became aware of differences own use information when constructing technical systems. The Fischer scale was used as a model understand identify development in using such information. were given examples reconstructions They asked evaluate these work products four ways: relative absolute, combined with intuitive explicit. results reveal absolute diagnoses can differ considerably same teacher between teachers, depending whether they are implicit or Post-test show improved explain construct system. also had strong, significant, positive impact self-efficacy beliefs about technology education.