PhD Student
I am interested in the research areas of conceptual understanding of science among pre-service science teachers and the use of blended learning as a platform for providing them with the resources and opportunities to improve their subject matter knowledge (SMK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK).
I completed my undergraduate degree in Physical Sciences with Education in the University of Limerick and am currently completing my PhD under the supervision of Dr. Peter Childs. My PhD work involves investigating whether pre-service science teachers’ choice of teacher education model (consecutive/postgraduate model and concurrent/undergraduate model) has any effect on their subject matter knowledge of fundamental chemistry concepts. Following on from this investigation, I facilitated pre-service science teachers in attempting to improve their own SMK and PCK through the use of blended learning. As part of this, I developed a website called SuBATOMIC (Supporting Better Activities To Overcome Misconceptions In Chemistry) which can be seen at www.subatomic.ie.
Please feel free to contact me at muireann.sheehan@ul.ie if you wish discuss my work or research interests or if you would like to get a password for full viewing access to the SuBATOMIC website.
