College students' views about physics learning experiences and impacts on their eventual teaching practice

In this article, we present some results from a study on relationships to physics and teaching physics experienced by future elementary school teachers, hired in their first year of pre-university education training. More precisely, we document how the participants describe some of their learning experiences with physics concepts, and also their interest in teaching these concepts at the elementary school level. Thirty-seven participants filled out a knowledge assessment on their views about physics and teaching this subject. We note that the majority of the participants have a positive view of teaching physics concepts at the elementary level, while only five participants had more difficulty with it. Some participants raise fears or concerns about teaching physics concepts, while others look at the usefulness of teaching them. For several participants, teaching physics at the elementary level seems easier than at the secondary or college level.