Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Development of Self-Efficacy and Confidence to Teach Science: A Case Study Amanda M. Gunning • Felicia Moore Mensah Published online: 22 June 2010 Ó The Association for Science Teacher Education, USA 2010 Abstract This study examines the self-efficacy of one preservice elementary school teacher (Kasey) during and after her participation in Science in Childhood Education—a 16-week, elementary preservice science methods course. The case study of this teacher is situated in the context of the class as a whole. This is accomplished through interviewing the one teacher and examining artifacts and observations of the entire class. The results of these experiences are studied to determine what changes have taken place in the participants’ self-efficacy in science teaching as well as the one preservice teacher in greater detail. Because self efficacy is influential to student learning, the results of this study have significant implica- tions for the design of elementary teacher education programs and the support of elementary teachers in teaching science. Introduction To increase the inclusion of science in the primary grades, frightening national reports, standards or high-stakes tests will not do the job on their own. Elementary school teachers are the key to reform. Despite the calls for changes to be made to A. M. Gunning (&) Á F. M. Mensah Department of Mathematics, Science & Technology, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 W 120th Street, Box 210, New York, NY 10027, USA e-mail: amg2150@columbia.edu A. M. Gunning 115 Woodland Road, Monroe, NY 10950, USA F. M. Mensah 88 Wegman Parkway, #2, Jersey City, NJ 07305, USA e-mail: moorefe@tc.columbia.edu 123 J Sci Teacher Educ (2011) 22:171–185 DOI 10.1007/s10972-010-9198-8