RESEARCH ARTICLE
A Study on the Perceptions of Pre-service Science Teachers of Educational Volunteer
Eungchan Kim , Hyunjung Kim*, Nak Han Jang , Hyuck Jin Lee , Sungyool Bong
Kongju National University
Correspondence to Hyunjung Kim, chem95@kongju.ac.kr
Brain, Digital, & Learning. Volume 15, Number 3, 423–435, September 2025. https://doi.org/10.31216/BDL.2025.15.3.6
Received on August 23, 2025, Revised on September 23, 2025, Accepted on September 24, 2025, Published on September 30, 2025.
Copyright © 2025 Institute of Brain based Education, Korea National University of Education This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the experiences and perceptions of educational volunteer among pre-service science teachers. To explore these aspects, a survey was administered to 72 pre-service science teachers enrolled in a teacher education program. The survey examined participation patterns, perceived teaching competencies, and relevance to their major. The findings of this study are as follows: First, pre-service science teachers primarily engaged in volunteer activities during their early undergraduate years, often selecting institutions based on location and available time rather than on major relevance. Second, those who participated in major-related educational volunteer perceived them as more appropriate and meaningful. Third, participants reported improvements in communication, collaboration, student interaction, and prosocial behavior, although their skills in lesson design and planning showed only modest growth. Lastly, educational volunteer also contributed to clarifying their teaching career aspirations. However, participants identified several challenges, such as unstructured program management and limited alignment with academic content. These findings suggest the need for systematically designed, major-related volunteer programs and institutional support to enhance the educational value of volunteer for future science teachers.
Keywords
Educational volunteer, pre-service science teacher, major relevance, teaching competency, career identity