Polar Science Awareness of Science Teachers

Year 2024, Volume: 8 Issue: 16, 32 - 44, 21.03.2024

Fatma Kübra Uyar , Orhan Karamustafaoğlu

https://doi.org/10.31458/iejes.1386430

Abstract

One of the major obstacles to the continuation of life on Earth is the global climate change. The fact that our nation is experiencing a minor impact from the global climate change does not change the reality that there is no problem. It is well recognized that the polar areas are the most impacted by the global climate change, or that the triggering of the Polar Regions would have a significant influence on the whole planet. In this scenario, science teachers have a significant deal of responsibility for raising awareness of polar science subject among future generations. As a result, it is in our hands to mitigate the impacts of global climate change through increased student knowledge. The screening model was used in the study to show the knowledge and awareness levels of science teachers on polar sciences, who will supply this awareness. The “Polar Sciences Awareness Questionnaire-PSAQ” data collecting instrument, whose validity and reliability were calculated, was employed within the parameters of the study. PSAQ was created in Google Form style with web-based access. The data were collected voluntarily from 205 science teachers working in a province in the Southeastern Anatolia Region, which is the population of the study. The statistical package program SPSS 26 was used to analyze the data that had been collected. The research revealed that while science instructors were aware of the North Pole, South Pole and climate change, their awareness was not very high. It is because science instructors lack a specific education in polar sciences that they do receive explicitly. The report makes several recommendations, one of which is to include polar science learning outcomes and lessons in teacher and student education programs.

Keywords

Polar regions, neo-climate, global climate awareness, science teacher

References

• Arslan, A. (2019, November). The effect of the arctic polar research on the skills of scientific research problems of gifted students, 3rd National Workshop on Polar Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara.
• Arslan, A. (2020, October). The views of gifted students on some polar phenomena and origins of their source of information, 4th National Workshop on Polar Sciences, Marmara University, İstanbul.
• Bailey, K. D. (1982). Methods of social research. Free Press.
• Barak, B. & Gönençgil, B. (2020). A comparrison of secondary school currricula in terms of climate change education in the World and Turkey. Journal of Geography, 40, 187-201.
• Barış, N. (2020, October). Science journey in Antarctica, 4th National Workshop on Polar Sciences, Marmara University, Istanbul.
• Barnosky, A. D., Hadly, E. A., Bascompte, J., Berlow, E. L., Brown, J. H. & Fortelius, M. (2012). Approaching a state shift in Earth’s biosphere. Nature, 486, 52-58.
• Bodur, T. (2021, November). Learning experiences of talented gifted 6th grade students about “Lands waiting to be discovered: Poles” activity, 5th National Workshop on Polar Sciences, Gebze Technical University, Kocaeli.
• Convey, P., Aitken, S., di Prisco, G., Gill, M. J., Coulson, S. J. & Barry, T. (2012). The impacts of climate change on circumpolar biodiversity. Biodiversity, 13, 134–143.
• Eroğlu, B. & Aydoğdu, M. (2016). Determination of pre-service science teachers’ knowledge level about global warming. Journal of Uludağ University Faculty of Education, 29(2), 345-374.
• Fraenkel, J. R. & Wallen, N. E. (2009). How to design and evaluate research in education (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
• Göktaş, E. (2022, November). Reflection of the state policy on polar studies on national education, 6th National Workshop on Polar Sciences, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon.
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC] (2021). Climate Change 2021 - the Physical Science Basis, Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press.
• Kepir, H. & Toktaş, H. A. (2021, November). Journey to the Arctic with games, 5th National Workshop on Polar Sciences, Gebze Technical University, Kocaeli.
• NASA (2018). Global climate change vital signs of the planet. https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/global-temperature/, (Accessed on 21 May 2023).
• Post, E., Forchhammer, M. C., Bret-Harte, M. S., Callaghan, T. V., Christensen, T. R., & Elberling, B. (2009). Ecological dynamics across the Arctic associated with recent climate change. Science, 325, 1355–1358.
• Sasa-Fizan, A. & Uzun, N. (2022, November). Investigation of science curriculum in terms of polar studies and climate change, 6th National Workshop on Polar Sciences, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon.
• Selçuk-Sezgin, G. (2019). Eğitimde araştırma yöntemleri [Research methods in education]. İçinde H. Özmen & O. Karamustafaoğlu (Ed.), Tarama yöntemi (s.140-162). Pegem Akademi.
• Smetacek, V. & Nicol, S. (2005). Polar ocean ecosystems in a changing world. Nature, 437, 362–368.
• Ursavaş, N. & Kandemir, R. (2020, October). Evaluation of secondary school students’ knowledge about Antartica in terms of biological, geographical and climatic, 4th National Workshop on Polar Sciences, Marmara University, Istanbul.
• Yalçınkaya, Ş., Vural, D. & Özsoy, B. (2020, October). The contibution of Antartica art contest to the awareness studies on polar sciences, 4th National Workshop on Polar Sciences, Marmara University, Istanbul.