Educational Beliefs, Career Planning, and Teaching Practice Ability Among Science Teachers in Chinese Primary Schools

This study aimed to assess the educational beliefs, career planning, and teaching practice of the Chinese primary school science teachers. The findings revealed that while teachers generally held positive attitudes toward their profession, there were areas where improvement was needed, particularly in terms of professional identity, educational beliefs, and teaching practice abilities. Primary school science teachers were not satisfied with their career planning in terms of understanding themselves and their careers, setting goals, and achieving goals. Teaching practice ability includes basic teaching skills, classroom teaching ability, job satisfaction and innovative teaching, etc., and is at an unsatisfactory level. The study also found that teachers of different genders, ages, educational backgrounds, and teaching experience had significant differences in educational beliefs, career planning, and teaching practice abilities, with females, 20-25 years old, PhDs, and teachers with 26 years or more of service being evaluated relatively well. Furthermore, there is a significant positive correlation between educational beliefs, career planning, and teaching practice ability. This suggests that a strong foundation in educational philosophy and career path can positively impact teaching effectiveness. Based on these findings, the study recommends several strategies to enhance the professional development of primary school science teachers. Relevant training and discussion activities should be carried out to improve teachers' professional identity and educational beliefs. Strengthen guidance on teachers' career planning to help them better understand their careers, goals, and develop actionable action plans. Provide more opportunities to enhance teachers' ability, especially in innovative teaching. Tailor individualized support across diverse teacher populations. By addressing these areas, it is possible to improve the quality of science education and student learning outcomes.