The aim of this exploratory research is to understand teaching orientations of freshman pre-service science teachersand their rationales for those orientations. Through a mixed method, the current study collected quantitative(Pedagogy of Science Teaching Test) and qualitative(semi-structured interviews)data to deepen and analyze the research. The sample ofthe quantitative part in the study consisted of143 freshman pre-service science teachers (122 females and 21 males) purposefully drawn from a state university in Turkey. To understand theirrationalesoftheir teaching orientation preferences, semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen interviewees, who heldvarying science teaching orientations.The findings of this research showedthat the freshman pre-service science teachers hada variety of orientations that were not influenced by their earlier science learning experiences. Also, the results indicatedthat the orientations were largely related to the freshman pre-service science teachers‟ conceptions of „rolesof teachersand students, students‟gradesand nature of subject matter‟rather than their immediate experiences as learners. The current study recommends that theseconceptions shouldbe adressed in the teacher education programs with appropriate experiences that engage pre-service teachers to critical reflection throughout the teacher education program.