Enhancing Elementary Pre-Service Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Cross-Linguistic Awareness in Geoscience Education
Wednesday
3:00pm
Oral Presentation Part of
Wednesday Oral Session
Authors
Silvia Jessica Mostacedo Marasovic, The University of Texas at Arlington
Brenda Costello, The University of Texas at Arlington
Patricia Saenz, The University of Texas at Arlington
Maricela León, The University of Texas at Arlington
Zulma Mojica, The University of Texas at Arlington
Cory Forbes, The University of Texas at Arlington
Bilingual elementary pre-service teachers (BEPTs) must simultaneously develop science content knowledge and learn to teach across languages. Many are heritage Spanish speakers who are conversationally fluent but have limited experience using other linguistic resources for science instruction. Traditional science methods courses rarely address these linguistic demands, leaving BEPTs underprepared for multilingual science classrooms. In Fall 2025, this project engaged n = 26 undergraduate BEPTs in three bilingual science modules designed to strengthen their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and cross-linguistic awareness (CLA). The modules focused on Hydrologic, Climate, and Earth systems, and were grounded in the 5E model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate). Translanguaging pedagogy was embedded throughout to support bilingual science instruction. Within each lesson, a 5E-aligned activity was paired with opportunities for BEPTs to practice translanguaging strategies. Each lesson, culminated in an application task in which BEPTs described how they would teach a science concept using a translanguaging approach. The modules were implemented in a redesigned junior-year science teaching methods course, "BEEP 4312: Science and Health Education in Dual Language Settings", where students also developed a bilingual lesson plan. We ask, how did engagement with the learning activities support BEPTs' PCK-CLA development? We developed a rubric integrating PCK and CLA across four constructs: knowledge of curriculum, learners, strategies, and assessment. Data sources included 96 lessons' activities' responses across the three modules, and lesson plans. Preliminary analysis of lesson plans from n = 15 students shows consistent curriculum alignment and coherent instructional design, particularly in the use of topic-specific activities and representations. Students also showed emerging attention to varied linguistic resources and student thinking, reflecting a growing awareness of how to leverage students' full linguistic repertoire, verbal and non-verbal, across both languages, throughout their learning activities and lesson planning. Further analyses will continue to inform patterns in PCK-CLA development.
- Geoscience Education Research
- Building Strong Programs


