Science teachers’ perceptions toward discrepant events applied in science education

Discrepant events, contrary to previous to be true, are events which has unexpected results used to compare students together with their beliefs and to attract their attention They are used for the purpose of attracting students’ attention, encouraging them to think about a topic, stimulating them to work out a contradictory case by changing usual way of thinking (creating cognitive imbalance) and make them research to find a reasonable explanation, improving their inquiry abilities, helping them to be mentally more qualified in cases of curiosity and the unknown. The aim of this research is to study science teachers’ perceptions of discrepant events and level of awareness. For this purpose, phenomenology, one of the pattern of the qualitative research methodology, is applied in the research. Working group consists of 10 science teachers continuing the profession in Nevsehir Province with varied professional experience during 2014 -2015 academic year. Data related to the research are collected through observation, interview and analyzed in accordance with descriptive and contextual approaches. As a result of data analysis, it is quite obvious that science teachers are familiar with discrepant events, but there has been incompetence in handling of them in practice. To sum up, science teachers’ understanding of discrepant events has reached substantial levels. However, it is clear that they are not qualified enough to decide how to apply discrepant event or which class levels it should be applied

An examination of the effect of technology-based STEM education training in the framework of technology acceptance model

The aim of this study is threefold: (1) to present a valid and reliable scale in the framework of the Technology Acceptance Model; (2) to reveal factors affecting pre-service science teachers’ intentions to use technology-based STEM; (3) to examine the effect of technology-based STEM education training on pre-service science teachers’ perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude, and intention. This study has two sections. Study 1 defined the reliability and validity of the Technology Based-STEM Intention Scale (TB-STEMIS) in the framework of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with pre-service science teachers in Turkey. Study 2 examined the pre-service science teachers’ intentions to use technology-based STEM and the impact of technology-based STEM education training on pre-service science teachers’ intentions concerning the TAM model. The results of the study revealed that the proposed model tested after STEM training is superior to the before STEM training. Findings also indicated that technology-based STEM education training had a positive effect on pre-service science teachers’ perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude, and intention to use the technology-based STEM education. Finally, implications were discussed and recommendations were found for further studies in line with the limitations. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Investigating of pre-service science teachers’ beliefs on education for sustainable development and sustainable behaviors

Sustainability problems such as hunger, obesity, unhealthiness, clean water, and the destruction of biological diversity in nature etc. has increased in this century. All over the world, meetings, panels and summits are arranged; researchers who are experts in the field are investigating ways to overcome these problems. Recently, especially after importance of education in sustainable development was pointed out in some reports such as Panel for Education for Sustainable Development arranged in Rio in 1992 or Thessaloniki Decleration, studies has focused on this area. To cope with these problems, in many researches it was stated that identifying the underlying causes should be first aim. However, Teachers generally acknowledge that sustainable development is abstract and difficult to conceptualize. Especially, in science education, awareness of sustainable development plays an important role. Science teachers or pre-service science teachers who will be teacher in near future should be equipped with the necessary competence through professional support to get over the difficulties. Consequently, this research focused on investigating of pre-service science teachers’ beliefs on education for sustainable development and sustainable behaviors. The results of the study showed that pre-service science teachers are aware of importance of ESD and considering results of awareness stage of them, their sustainable behaviors are at good level. Additionally, it was found that relationship between their beliefs and behaviors is moderate level

A review of researches on STEM in preservice teacher education

As the research on STEM education has begun to gain momentum in literature, the need for STEM education in the field of teacher training has been emphasized. Considering that STEM education plays an increasingly important role in teacher education both in our country and in the world, it is necessary to investigate the literature review that will guide these studies. According to the criteria determined in this study, 76 studies published between January 2001 and December 2018 were examined by using systematic review. These 76 studies are summarized under the categories of research, type of research, method research group, validity-reliability report, data collection tools, educational material, country of publication. The results of the research indicate that applied qualitative research methods are used mostly in preservice teacher education, the studies have increased significantly in the last three years, simple tools as education material are used mainly, and interview forms were preferred as the data collection tool. In the light of these findings, some suggestions are put forward to the teacher educators and researchers.As the research on STEM education has begun to gain momentum in literature, the need for STEM education in the field of teacher training has been emphasized. Considering that STEM education plays an increasingly important role in teacher education both in our country and in the world, it is necessary to investigate the literature review that will guide these studies. According to the criteria determined in this study, 76 studies published between January 2001 and December 2018 were examined by using systematic review. These 76 studies are summarized under the categories of research, type of research, method research group, validity-reliability report, data collection tools, educational material, country of publication. The results of the research indicate that applied qualitative research methods are used mostly in preservice teacher education, the studies have increased significantly in the last three years, simple tools as education material are used mainly, and interview forms were preferred as the data collection tool. In the light of these findings, some suggestions are put forward to the teacher educators and researchers

Investigation of in service and pre service science teachers’ perspectives about engıneering-desıgn as an instructıonal method and legos as an instructional material

Bu araştırmanın amacı fen bilgisi öğretmenligi bölümünde ögrenim gören ögretmen adaylarının ve fen bilgisi öğretmenlerinin yöntem olarak mühendislik-dizayna ve ders materyali olarak legolara bakış açılarının incelenmesidir. Araştırma 2012-2013 eğitim öğretim yılında Erciyes Üniversitesi Fen Bilgisi Öğretmenliği programında öğrenim görmekte olan 3 ve 4. sınıf ögrencileri (n=26) ve Kayseri ilinde görev yapmakta olan fen bilgisi öğretmenleri (n=22) ile yürütülmüstür. Araştırmada karma (mixed) metod kullanılmıştır. Nicel veri toplama araçlarından anket yöntemi, nitel veri toplama araçlarından mülakat ve serbest çizim yöntemleri kullanılmıştır. Arastırmada tek-grup öntestson test yarı-deneysel desen kullanılmıştır. Veri toplama aracı olarak Yaşar, Baker, Robinson-Kurpius, Krause ve Roberts (2006) tarafından geliştirilen 2010 Mühendislik Egitimi Anket’i kullanılmıstır. Öğretmen ve öğretmen adaylarının ders materyali olarak legoların kullanımına iliskin bakış açılarını değerlendirmek amacıyla anket soruları oluşturulmuştur. Bu sorulara ek olarak mühendisler ve mühendislik süreciyle ilgili 6 açık uçlu ve bir çizim sorusu olusturulmuş ve kullanılmıştır. Araştırmada öğretmen ve öğretmen adaylarından olusan iki gruba seminer düzenlenmiştir. Her iki gruba seminerin basında mühendislik-dizayn ve legolarla ilgili anket uygulanmıstır. Sonra mühendislik-dizayn yöntemi ve lego materyalleri tanıtılarak araştırmacılar tarafından hazırlanan mühendislik-dizayn tabanlı etkinlikler uygulanmıstır. Bu eğitimin sonunda aynı anket yeniden uygulanmıştır. Anket maddelerinden elde edilen veriler SPSS 16.00 paket program aracılığıyla, görüşme soruları betimsel analize tabi tutularak ve serbest çizimler ise değerlendirme formu kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda anketin mühendisliğin önemi ve mühendisliğe aşinalık ile lego kullanımın önemi ve legolara aşinalık boyutları incelendiğinde, ögretmen öntest- son test puanları arasında anlamlı bir fark bulunmuştur (p<.05). Ancak öğretmenlerin mühendisliğin ve mühendislerin özelliklerine ilişkin ön test ve son test puanlarında anlamlı bir fark görülmemiştir (p>.05). Araştırma sonucunda anketin mühendisliğin önemi ve mühendislige aşinalık, mühendisliğin ve mühendislerin özellikleri ile lego kullanımın önemi ve legolara aşinalık boyutları incelendiğinde, öğretmen adaylarının öntestson test puanları arasında anlamlı bir fark bulunmuştur (p<.05). Sonuçlar, ögretmenlerin ve ögretmen adaylarının mühendis ve mühendislik hakkında az çok bilgi sahibi olduklarını ancak fen egitiminde yöntem olarak mühendislik-dizaynı ve ders materyali olarak legoları kullanacak düzeyde bilgi sahibi olmadıklarını göstermistir.The aim of this study is to examine pre-service and in-service elementary science teachers' perspectives on engineering-design as a method and legos as course materials. The subjects of the study were 3rd and 4th grade pre-service elementary science teachers (n=26) at Erciyes University in the 2012-2013 academic year, and in-service teachers (n=22) who were working in Kayseri. The mixed method approach was used in this research. A survey, as a quantitative data collection tool, hand drawings and interviews as qualitative data collection tools were used. One-Group Pretest-Posttest Quasi-experimental Design was used in the study. 2010 Engineering Education Survey when was developed by Yasar, Baker, Robinson-Kurpius, Krause and Roberts (2006) was used as a data collection instrument. Survey questions was created in order to assess pre service and in service elementary science teachers’ perspectives on the use of legos as course material. In addition to these questions, 6 open-ended and drawing questions about the engineers and engineering process were developed and used. A seminar on the use of engineering-design and legos in science instruction was organized for teachers and teacher candidates in research. At the beginning of the seminar both groups were pre-surveyed on engineering design and legos. Then engineering-design method and lego materials were to the pre-service and in-service teachers. The same questionnaire was re-administered at the end of the seminar. The data collected through questionnaire was by using SPSS 16.0 package program Interview questions were analyzed by using descriptive analysis techniques, and hand drawings were analyzed by using a rubric. The study revealed that teachers’ scores on the importance of engineering, familiarity with engineering and familiarity with legos, and importance of using legos increased significantly (p< .05). However teachers' scores on characteristics of engineering and engineers did not change significantly (p>.05). The study revealed that teacher candidates’ scores on the importance of engineering, familiarity with engineering, characteristics of engineering and engineers, familiarity with legos, and importance of using legos increased significantly (p< .05). Results have shown that teachers and teacher candidates had somewhat knowledge about engineers and engineering, but they were not so familiar with the use of engineering-design as an instructional method and legos as a course material in science education

The determination of science and technology special subject standard by prospective teachers views

Bu araştırmanın amacı birinci ve dördüncü sınıf fen ve teknoloji öğretmenliği öğrencilerinin Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı (MEB) tarafından belirlenen özel alan yeterliklerinin hangisini “daha önemli” gördüklerinin belirlenmesidir. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu 2012-2013 eğitim öğretim yılı Ahi Evran ve Erciyes Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Fen Eğitimi Anabilim Dalında öğrenim görmekte olan 58 birinci ve 58 dördüncü sınıf öğrencisi oluşturmuştur. Veri toplama aracı olarak “Fen ve Teknoloji Öğretmenliği Özel Alan Yeterlilikleri Değerlendirme Formu” hazırlanmıştır. Verilerin analizi sıralama yargılarına dayalı ölçekleme ile yapılmıştır. Sonuçlara göre, birinci sınıf öğrencileri açısından bir öğretmende bulunması gereken en önemli yeterlik alanı “Öğrencilerin eleştirel düşünme becerilerini geliştirebilme” olarak belirlenirken dördüncü sınıf öğrencileri için “Öğretim sürecini program doğrultusunda planlama, ortamlar düzenleme, materyal hazırlama ve kaynaklardan yararlanma” olarak değişiklik göstermiştir.The aim of this search is determined which special subject standards that determined by Ministry Education is more important for first and fourth grade students of science and technology education. The study group of searching were consisted of 58 first grade and 58 fourth grade students who studied teaching programs at Education Faculty of University of Erciyes and Ahi Evran. The Assessment Form of Special Subject Standards was prepared as a means of data collection. Analysis of the data was made with scaling based on rank order judgment. According to the results, the first special subject standards of a teacher has in terms of first grade students is determined as "to develop students' critical thinking skills", was showed changes as " planning the process of teaching in accordance with program, organizing environments, preparing material and use of resources"

A review of research on STEM in preservice teacher education

As the research on STEM education has begun to gain momentum in literature, the need for STEM education in the field of teacher training has been emphasized. Considering that STEM education plays an increasingly important role in teacher education both in our country and in the world, it is necessary to investigate the literature review that will guide these studies. According to the criteria determined in this study, 76 studies published between January 2001 and December 2018 were examined by using systematic review. These 76 studies are summarized under the categories of research, type of research, method research group, validity-reliability report, data collection tools, educational material, country of publication. The results of the research indicate that applied qualitative research methods are used mostly in preservice teacher education, the studies have increased significantly in the last three years, simple tools as education material are used mainly, and interview forms were preferred as the data collection tool. In the light of these findings, some suggestions are put forward to the teacher educators and researchers

Fen bilimleri ve matematik öğretmeni adaylarının stem alanlarına ve kariyerlerine yönelik semantik (anlamsal) algıları

Bu araştırmada fen bilimleri ve matematik öğretmeni adaylarının STEM alanlarına ve kariyerlerine yönelik semantik algılarının belirlenmesi ve bu semantik algıların bölüm, cinsiyet, sınıf seviyesi, gelir düzeyi, öğretim programı bilgisi, STEM ders alma durumu değişkenleri açısından incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmanın örneklemini 197 (167 kadın, 30 erkek) fen bilimleri ve matematik öğretmeni adayı oluşturmaktadır. Kesitsel tarama desenine göre yürütülen araştırmada, STEM Semantik Farklılık Ölçeği ile elde edilen verilerin analizinde betimsel ve iki yönlü MANOVA kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda, fen bilimleri ve matematik öğretmen adaylarının STEM alanlarına ve kariyerlerine yönelik semantik algılarının genel olarak olumlu yönde olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca demografik değişkenler olarak belirlenen cinsiyet, bölüm, sınıf seviyesi, aile aylık geliri, STEM eğitiminin öğretim programındaki yerini bilme durumu ve STEM Ders Alma durumunun, fen bilimleri ve matematik eğitimi öğretmen adaylarının STEM alanlarına ve kariyerlerine yönelik semantik algıları üzerinde istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir etkiye sahip olmadığı görülmüştür. Araştırmadan elde edilen bulgular ve araştırmanın sınırlılıkları doğrultusunda önerilerde bulunulmuştur

Determination of Sustainable Consumption Behaviors of Pre-service Science Teachers Using the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Case of Fast-Food

Individuals’ sustainable consumption has a substantial effect on the environment. In particular, fast-food consumption is an important obstacle to a sustainable life. Therefore, understanding antecedents of fast-food consumption behavior helps to develop sustainable education interventions. The study aims to examine factors affecting fast food consumption behaviors within the framework of the sustainability framework using the theory of planned behavior. The sample data of 270 participants were from pre-service science teachers. The data of the study were collected several scales. A belief scale was developed by researchers. Other scales were adapted from the previous studies. The analysis was performed using hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The results revealed that the conceptual model explained 19 % of the variance in intention and 33 % of the variance in behavior. Besides, the proposed relationships among the constructs within the model were broadly supported. Further, intention was found to be a significant mediating variable. Finally, the study provides important theoretical and practical implications as well as suggestions for future researchers

Understanding Pre-Service Teachers' Mobile Learning Readiness Using Theory of Planned Behavior

The study aimed to understand pre-service teachers' mobile learning readiness with Theory of Planned Behavior using external salient beliefs. There were nine hypotheses tested with a total of 533 pre-service teachers in two cities in Turkey. Several scales adapted from Cheon et al. (2012) included 10 psychological variables. The results indicated that the TPB model explained 58% of the variance in intention to adopt mobile learning. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that the proposed model of the current study has acceptable fit data. The results of the SEM revealed that attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control have significant impact on intention to adopt mobile learning. In addition, salient beliefs had an influence on the constructs of TPB. Therefore, all the hypotheses within the model were statistically supported in understanding determinants of mobile learning readiness. All in all, the study approved the effectiveness of well-structured cognitive psychological model in understanding pre-service teachers' intention towards adoption of mobile learning in the Turkish context. The study has important implications for researchers, educators, education stakeholders, policy makers and mobile learning application designers.The study aimed to understand pre-service teachers' mobile learning readiness with Theory of Planned Behavior using external salient beliefs. There were nine hypotheses tested with a total of 533 pre-service teachers in two cities in Turkey. Several scales adapted from Cheon et al. (2012) included 10 psychological variables. The results indicated that the TPB model explained 58% of the variance in intention to adopt mobile learning. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that the proposed model of the current study has acceptable fit data. The results of the SEM revealed that attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control have significant impact on intention to adopt mobile learning. In addition, salient beliefs had an influence on the constructs of TPB. Therefore, all the hypotheses within the model were statistically supported in understanding determinants of mobile learning readiness. All in all, the study approved the effectiveness of well-structured cognitive psychological model in understanding pre-service teachers' intention towards adoption of mobile learning in the Turkish context. The study has important implications for researchers, educators, education stakeholders, policy makers and mobile learning application designers