Prospective Teachers' Views and Metaphors about Scientists and Their Scientific Methods

The aim of this study is to determine the views of prospective science and chemistry teachers from different grade levels on the scientific methods of scientists. The research method is case study which is a qualitative research design. First grade (n=27, 16) and last grade (n=30, 27) prospective Science and Chemistry teachers participated in the present study. 4 different open-ended questions prepared by the researchers were used in order to gather the data. Content analysis was performed for the assessment of the research data. When the results are considered in general, the findings contain common themes and also some differences. Although the last grade participants presented more sophisticated views on the topic, they were weak at certain points such as the significance of imagination. For this reason, department courses should also include the themes of scientific literacy and the nature of science

Science Fiction as an Instructional Strategy: Foundations, Procedures, and Results for Pre-service Teachers

Science fiction (SF) combines realistic and imaginary elements of science and technology and develops students’ imagination, creativity, and interest in science. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine SF stories written by pre-service science teachers (PSTs) in terms of various textual and science variables. The case study of SF story writing aimed to develop a theoretical framework to analyze how narrative elements, plot structure, agency, the nature of science content, characteristics of the SF genre, and ethics in scientific research are included in the stories of a group of Turkish PSTs. The participants of the study were 58 pre-service teachers enrolled in the science education department at a public university in Turkey. Working in groups, they wrote 13 different SF stories. The stories were analyzed with a rubric including two parts: narrative and other story elements and the characteristics of the SF genre. The results showed that the stories included fictional and realistic features of science and technology, scientific concepts, and details about scientific realities. The stories addressed the social and cultural embeddedness of scientific knowledge and details about the scientific method. However, the originality is limited in many stories as they had traces from popular movies, books, and TV series. The stories did consider a range of ethical issues, including unauthorized experimentation and manipulating scientific information for personal, political, and financial interests. The current study could contribute to the literature about the use and assessment of SF stories in science education. © 2021, Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan

Prospective Chemistry and Science Teachers' Views and Metaphors about Chemistry and Chemical Studies

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the metaphors created by prospective chemistry and science teachers and their views about how the studies in the field of chemistry are carried out in relation to the grade level and department. Research Methods: Case study as a qualitative research design was used. Participants in the study included 16 freshmen and 25 senior prospective chemistry teachers and 52 freshmen and 41 senior prospective science teachers. The data were analyzed with content analysis. Findings: The findings revealed that prospective teachers' views of chemistry were generally correct. However, a few of the participants' views were embedded with misconceptions. Also, the metaphors showed that they had different views toward chemistry. Implications for Research and Practice: The views of prospective chemistry and science teachers are similar to each other, and the results are more comprehensive and detailed for the last-grade students. When prospective teachers' metaphors about the chemistry and justifications are compared in terms of grade levels, it is seen that the justifications put forth have various similarities and differences. When the findings obtained from the research are compared in terms of different fields, similarities and differences are present together in the results. It is seen that the metaphors set up by the prospective teachers are quite different from one another when they are compared in terms of the fields. It can be suggested that metaphors in different concepts and topics could be examined and studies could be conducted by determining the gaps in those areas. (C) Ani Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved