EFFECT OF NATURE OF SCIENCE ACTIVITIES ON NATURE OF SCIENCE AND SCIENTIFIC EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS OF PRE-SERVICE PRESCHOOL TEACHERS

Year 2016, Volume: 4 , 352 - 356, 01.09.2016

Mustafa Uğraş Erol Çil

Abstract

The objective of the present study is to research the effect of
nature of science instruction based on direct reflective approach on the views
of pre-service preschool teachers on nature of science and their scientific
epistemological beliefs. The study was conducted with 38 Fırat University,
Faculty of Education Preschool Teaching Department senior students. The study
was conducted with seven activities that were used in previous studies. Views
of Nature of Science Questionnaire (VNOS) and Scientific Epistemological
Beliefs Scale were utilized as data collection tools. Data was collected by
applying the scales before and after the activities. Data collected via the
Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire were digitized by assigning 3.5 points
for scientifically adequate explanations, 1 point for partially adequate
scientific explanations, and 0 point for non-scientific explanations and then
assessed based on these scores. SPSS software package was used to analyze
quantitative data and required analyses were conducted. It was determined that
pre-service teachers had a poor understanding on the nature of science before
the applications were conducted. Based on study results, it was determined that
most of the illusions of the pre-service teachers on the nature of science were
eliminated at the end of the application that entailed direct reflective
approach activities. It was also found that beliefs of pre-service teachers on
epistemological structure of science improved after the application.

Keywords

Science education, pre-school science education, epistemological belief, nature of science, direct reflectors

References

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