Leveraging on Micro Teaching Lesson Study to Improve Collaborative Skills of Pre-Service Science and Math Student Teachers in Higher Educational Institutions

Abstract

This study examines how the Micro Teaching Lesson Study (MTLS) framework impacts the collaborative skills of pre-service science and mathematics teachers in Nigerian higher education institutions, focusing on integrating mathematics into science education. The research assesses MTLS’s role in developing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) tagged as instructional delivery and collaborative skills, including teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. Data were collected through questionnaires and a rating scale from 100 pre-service science and mathematics student teachers, at 300 and 400 levels, through a stratified random sampling technique. Results show mean scores from 2.73 to 3.71 which reflect moderate to high collaborative proficiency, ability and confidence to integrate mathematics into science education. While empirical evidence suggests MTLS significantly enhance instructional delivery of PSMST in science education (β = 4.481; t = 2.259; p < 0.05), no significant difference in collaborative skills was found between science and mathematics pre-service student teachers. The study concludes that MTLS effectively fosters collaborative skills, improving instructional delivery and interdisciplinary teaching. Expanding MTLS implementation is recommended to enhance the collaborative abilities of pre-service teachers and benefit STEM education.