İlköğretim öğrencilerinin bilimin doğasına yönelik algıları ile ilişkili öğrenci ve okul değişkenleri.

The purposes of this study were to explain the development and validation of a new instrument for assessing elementary students’ views of the Nature of Science (NOS) and to investigate student and school level factors that help to explain the difference in NOS views. The sample included 3,062 elementary students elementary schools located in Çankaya. Different from these students, 782 elementary students were the sample for the first focus of this study. The Nature of Science Instrument, Learning Approach Questionnaire and Achievement Motivation Questionnaire were administered to the students. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was selected as a modeling technique because of the nested structure of the data sets. This study provides an instrument for measuring elementary student views of the NOS regarding four dimensions. In this study, students had different views regarding each dimensions, therefore, many variables have been shown to relate to different dimensions of NOS. This study has established the importance of student socio-economic background with varying learning approaches, self-efficacy, and motivational goals in forming their NOS views. Findings revealed that quality of the physical infrastructure of schools and quality of educational resources in school, parent educational levels, student achievement, self efficacy, experience with meaningful learning, and learning goal orientation are positively related to student NOS views in many different dimensions. Additionally, performance goal orientation and rote learning approaches have negative relationship with different dimensions of student NOS views.Ph.D. - Doctoral Progra

Sürdürülebilir Gelişme İçin Eğitim Bağlamında Sınıf Öğretmenlerinin Çevre Okuryazarlığı Düzeylerinin Belirlenmesi

Bu çalışmanın amacı sınıf öğretmenlerinin çevre okuryazarlık düzeylerini ve derslerinde çevre eğitimine yer verip vermediklerini ve nasıl yer verdiklerini belirlemektir. Deneysel olmayan, betimsel ve ilişkisel desende tasarlanan bu çalışma 2013-2014 akademik yılında Türkiye'nin Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesi'nde yer alan bir ilçede 269 sınıf öğretmeninin katılımıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Veri toplama aracı olarak çevre okuryazarlığı ölçeği ve bu çalışmanın araştırmacıları tarafından hazırlanmış 6 açık uçlu sorudan oluşan anket kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizinde betimsel istatistik ve içerik analizi tekniği kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlar sınıf öğretmenlerin çevre ile ilgili kullanımlar, çevre sorunlarına ilgi puanlarının iyi, çevreye yönelik tutum puanlarının orta ve bilgi boyutu puanlarının düşük olduğunu göstermiştir. Sınıf öğretmenlerin çevre okuryazarlıklarının boyutları arasındaki ilişkiyi belirlemek için korelasyon analizi yapılmıştır. Sınıf öğretmenlerinin çevreye yönelik tutumlarıyla çevreyle ilgili kullanımları ve çevre sorunlarına olan ilgileri arasında anlamlı ve orta düzeyde bir ilişki tespit edilmiştir. Bunun yanı sıra öğretmenlerin çevreyle ilgili kullanımlarıyla çevre sorunlarına olan ilgileri arasında da anlamlı ve orta düzeyde bir ilişki söz konusu iken çevre okuryazarlığının bilgi boyutu ile diğer boyutları arasında anlamlı bir ilişki gözlenmemiştir. Bu çalışmanın nitel bulguları çalışmaya katılan sınıf öğretmenlerinin büyük bir çoğunluğunun derslerinde çevre eğitimine yer verdiklerini ortaya koymuştur. Elde edilen bulgular ilgili çalışmalarla karşılaştırılarak tartışılmış ve öneriler sunulmuşturBu çalışmanın amacı sınıf öğretmenlerinin çevre okuryazarlık düzeylerini ve derslerinde çevre eğitimine yer verip vermediklerini ve nasıl yer verdiklerini belirlemektir. Deneysel olmayan, betimsel ve ilişkisel desende tasarlanan bu çalışma 2013-2014 akademik yılında Türkiye’nin Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesi’nde yer alan bir ilçede 269 sınıf öğretmeninin katılımıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Veri toplama aracı olarak çevre okuryazarlığı ölçeği ve bu çalışmanın araştırmacıları tarafından hazırlanmış 6 açık uçlu sorudan oluşan anket kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizinde betimsel istatistik ve içerik analizi tekniği kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlar sınıf öğretmenlerin çevre ile ilgili kullanımlar, çevre sorunlarına ilgi puanlarının iyi, çevreye yönelik tutum puanlarının orta ve bilgi boyutu puanlarının düşük olduğunu göstermiştir. Sınıf öğretmenlerin çevre okuryazarlıklarının boyutları arasındaki ilişkiyi belirlemek için korelasyon analizi yapılmıştır. Sınıf öğretmenlerinin çevreye yönelik tutumlarıyla çevreyle ilgili kullanımları ve çevre sorunlarına olan ilgileri arasında anlamlı ve orta düzeyde bir ilişki tespit edilmiştir. Bunun yanı sıra öğretmenlerin çevreyle ilgili kullanımlarıyla çevre sorunlarına olan ilgileri arasında da anlamlı ve orta düzeyde bir ilişki söz konusu iken çevre okuryazarlığının bilgi boyutu ile diğer boyutları arasında anlamlı bir ilişki gözlenmemiştir. Bu çalışmanın nitel bulguları çalışmaya katılan sınıf öğretmenlerinin büyük bir çoğunluğunun derslerinde çevre eğitimine yer verdiklerini ortaya koymuştur. Elde edilen bulgular ilgili çalışmalarla karşılaştırılarak tartışılmış ve öneriler sunulmuştu

Interdisciplinary use of argumentation among religious education and philosophy teachers-in-training

Using document analysis, religion and philosophy pre-service teachers' reflections on argumentation and in-class argumentation practices, which were received online, during the Special Teaching Methods course were examined. These documents included reflections of pre-service teachers on argumentation and in-class argumentation practices. Findings emerged in three dimensions: (a) the benefits of the use of argumentation (awareness and motivation skills, teaching via argumentation-based instruction), (b) difficulties in using argumentation (learning environment and motivational factors), and (c) suggestions, in which themes and codes were created in light of such dimensions. The acquired dimension of the use of argumentation consists of the themes of awareness, motivation, skills, and teaching. With regards to suggestions that can be drawn from this document analysis, both religious education and philosophy pre-service teachers stated that preliminary preparations should be made to apply the argumentation technique to the teaching process. The results offer insight on the integration of this technique into teaching as an instructional tool. As an important epistemological exercise, argumentation can be attained as a skill set during formal school education which may facilitate the integration of knowledge

Pre-service science teachers perceptions and practices related to history of science instructions

The purposes of this study were to describe pre-service science teachers’(PTs) perceptions and practices about using history of science(HOS) in their instructions and their experiences as in-service teachers(ITs) and to determine the relationship between PTs perceptions and practices about using HOS in their classrooms. The HOS Instructional Survey was administered to 68 PTs in two different universities in Turkey. After these students had graduated, some questions were asked about their views about practicing integrating the HOS in their instruction to the 19 ITs who started to work in schools. Findings revealed that PTs had favorable level of perceptions and practices about using HOS in their classrooms. Furthermore, PTs’ perceptions are highly correlated with their practices about using HOS in their classrooms. Interview results revealed that after PTs become ITs, in their teaching practices of history of science they emphasized mostly conceptual understanding and the least emphasis given to contextual understanding

Does Outdoor Education make any difference in environmental literacy of pre service classroom teachers

The aim of this research is to determine the effects of various teaching methods and activities, which are used in environmental education lessons, on the environmental literacy level of classroom pre-service teachers. This study was carried out including the classroom pre-service teachers, who took the environmental education course in the academic year of 2012-2013. In this study, an experimental design was used. The Environmental Literacy Scale and the Evaluation of the Environmental Education Outcome Scale, which was developed by the researchers, were utilized as data collection instruments. The implementations were carried out throughout the semester. During the semester, traditional teaching methods (lecture type) were used in the control group, while teaching methods in which the pre-service teachers were active in the outdoor and indoor were used in the experimental group. Regarding the quantitative data, descriptive analysis, paired-samples t-test, Independent Samples T-Test analysis were utilized. Content analysis was used for the analysis of the data obtained from the open-ended questions. The findings showed that there was a statistically significant difference in favor of the experimental group with respect to the “attitudes”, “uses,” and “concern” dimensions of the environmental literacy. When the pre-test and post-test results of the control group were compared within the group, no any significant difference was found. Yet, a significant difference in the dimensions of “attitudes” and “uses” was found when the pre-test and the post-test results were compared within the experimental group. The classroom pre-service teachers in the control group gave very positive feedback on the issues of “the outcomes they obtained from the environmental education course”, “teaching topics related to environmental education when become teachers,” and “environmental problems.” Richer codes and higher frequencies were obtained from the experimental group on these categories

A "light bulb moment": Lab experiments enhancing novelty and critical thinking designed by future teachers

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of home science practices on science teacher candidates' critical thinking dispositions, science learning skills, scientific inquiry skills, and learning styles within the scope of open inquiry-based science laboratory practices. For this purpose, the opinions of prospective science teachers within the scope of home science laboratory practices are explored. Participants included 79 third-grade elementary school level (i.e., 8+ year olds) science teacher candidates. Convergent parallel mixed design from mixed methods was used in the study. As a result of the quantitative analysis of the research, a statistically significant difference was found between the pre-test and post-test results of the science teacher candidates' critical thinking dispositions and science learning skills of home science practices. Within the scope of open research inquiry-based science laboratory practices, science teacher candidates' home science practices increased in the informed category at the end of the term in all sub dimensions of scientific inquiry skills. It was concluded that science teacher candidates experienced shifts in their learning styles relating to (i.e., Diverging, Assimilating, Converging, and Accommodating) their home science practices. The qualitative results of the study were examined based on the following themes: skills, learning environment, application process, and affective changes

Factors related to cognitive reasoning of pre-service teachers’ science process skills: Role of experiments at home on meaningful learning

Abstract: This study aims to ascertain the level of science process skills (SPSs) among pre-service science teachers and to describe how these skills are reflected in their learning approach during the knowledge acquisition process. Additionally, we intend to explore those factors (i.e., those related to cognitive reasoning) that are utilized by pre-service teachers during science experiments conducted at home, in terms of the attainment of SPSs. The course documents of 36 pre-service science teachers were used to help further our understanding of the nature of learning about science through active participation in the inquiry process. Data collection procedures were conducted during a Laboratory Application Course; the participating students were required to undergo the Science Process Skills Test, completed to ascertain their pre-existing skills, as well as a project report investigating the factors affecting plant growth to ascertain levels of SPSs. These data were analyzed using a document analysis method. Data from a Science Process Skills Test were analyzed using the SPSS 20.0 program, along with the descriptive statistics. The findings indicate that the skills that achieved the highest averages included the formulation of preparation predations, as well as experimentation, while the lowest point averages went to the subcategories of proof through experience and communication. Upon an examination of the project reports, several pre-service teachers soon realized they had made certain errors during the design phase of the experiment, and returned to the initial stage. Still others made errors in the descriptions of variables, findings, and inferences, with the smallest minority committing errors in terms of observation. Students who possessed a meaningful learning approach were deemed as having internalized and recalled concepts in a meaningful way