Research on Ways to Improve Science Teacher Education to Develop Students' Key Competencies

The purpose of this research is to investigate ways to improve science teacher education in order to subsequently develop students' key competencies. Since the OECD redefined key competencies as 'what people should know and be able to do in order to lead a successful life in a well-functioning society, many countries have emphasized competency-based curriculum. In this research, we collected and analyzed foreign and domestic classroom cases that have implemented competency-based curriculum in science teaching. Through open-ended interviews with the teachers and principals we explored ways to improve science teacher education to develop students' key competencies. According to the results, the competency-based curriculum necessitates a shift in teachers' roles including teachers as role models for their students, multifaceted roles of teachers, and teachers as researchers. In light of the teacher's community, teachers need to form a professional learning community, increase practice-based professional development opportunities, build the teacher's knowledge base, put various experts into the classroom, and build a partnership with the local community and other experts. In the conclusion section, we also discussed institutional and political supports necessary for the competency based education.