Difficulties In Teaching Science From Science Teachers Point of View Towar Grades (1-4 )

The purpose of this study was to identify the educational difficulties in science teaching in the first basic cycle in Nablus Governorate. More specifically this study attempted to answer the following two main questions : 1- What are the educational difficulties in science teaching as perceived by science teachers in the first basic cycle ? 2- Is there any difference in the educational difficulties in science teaching as perceived by science teachers due to Sex, academic qualifications, teaching experience, annul administrative estimation, the supervising authority and teaching methods. To answer these questions and to test the six hypotheses, a sample of study consisted of 131 (males and females) holders of either community college diploma/Sc or B.Sc. degree was used. The sample consisted of 49% of the population . The sample was selected randomly using stratified sample. To collect data, the scale of educational difficulties in science teaching was used , the instrument of the study was judged to be valid by some experts . and its reliability was calculated by using Cronbach — Alpha method and it was 0.92. The results of the study revealed the following results : 1- The number of the educational difficulties in the science teaching related to importance more than 40% were 12 difficulties; i.e. 23.1% of the total difficulties , these difficulties occurred in the following three domains : A- Applying the practical activities which are contained by the curricula . B- In — service teacher training and self development . C- Educational aims for science teaching , curricula and science text books. 2- There was no significant difference (α = 0.05) between the means of male and female teacher's feeling towards the difficulties that they face. 3- There was no significant difference (α = 0.05) between short, medium and long period of science teacher experience towards the difficulties that they face. 4- There was no significant difference (α = 0.05) between the holders of diploma and B.Sc feeling towards the difficulties that they face. 5- There was no significant difference (α = 0.05) between high , low and without annual administrative estimation towards the difficulties that they face. 6- There was a significant difference (α = 0.05) that they feel difficulties due to the supervising authority. The result showed that the most of teachers feel difficulties that teachers who belong to UNSCO schools. 7- There was no significant difference (α = 0.05) between the normal teaching methodology and integrated teaching methodology , towards the difficulties that they face . Due to these results the researcher suggested the following recommendations : • The Ministry of education and the UNSCO set up appropriate environment to solve the educational difficulties reflected by this study , especially those related to : A — Applying the practical activities which it contained by curricula. B — In- service teacher training and self development . C — Educational aims for science teaching , curricula and science textbooks • The researcher further recommends that science teachers make use of materials available in the local community where the teacher lives avoid instructional dictating methods , develop student thinking , avoid commutative instructional methods and that they should teach student as groups. • The researcher recommend that researchers should conduct similar studies in the south and the middle region in Palestine also using other methods such as school visit, class visit and laboratory.