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This study aimed to investigate the pre-service preschool teachers' awareness of STEM education. For this purpose, the pre-service preschool teachers' STEM awareness was examined in terms of their gender, class, and whether or not they received any STEM education. A total of 384 (302 female, 82 male) pre-service preschool teachers participated in this study at one of the state universities in Turkey. The data were collected through the "STEM Awareness Scale" and "Personal Information Form". STEM Awareness Scale consists of sub-dimensions of effect on students, lessons and teachers. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 21 program. Results showed that male PPTs had more gains on the sub-dimension of the effect of lessons than female PPTs. It has also been found that, having a STEM-related or STEM-based courses increased the PPT's awareness of STEM education. Based on these results, it has been suggested that adding STEM-related or STEM-based courses educational faculties would be beneficial for students.

Problem Statement: Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has recently become a remarkable research topic, especially in developed countries as a result of the skilled workforce required in the fields of the STEM. Considering that professional tendencies are revealed at early ages, determining students' interest in STEM careers is important for Turkey's workforce. The question, "How can Turkish middle school students' interest in STEM careers be determined?" constitutes the problem statement of this study. Purpose of the Study:The aim of this study is to adapt the STEM Career Interest Survey (STEM-CIS), which is a type of 5-point-Likert scale, into Turkish. The survey consists of 44 questions, and includes science, technology, mathematics, and engineering sub-dimensions.Method: Items were independently translated into Turkish by the authors after necessary permissions were received. Afterwards, the authors reached a consensus about the Turkish meanings of each items. The items were reviewed and edited by English and Turkish field experts to ensure validity. The survey was administered to 1,033 middle school students (grades 5-8). The data were analyzed by the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) in the AMOS program. The reliability of the scale, as well as its sub-* Dr., Yusuf Demir Science and Art Center, Kirsehir, Turkey, zeynepko.unlu@gmail.com ** Corresponding author: Prof. Dr., Gazi Universty, Gazi Faculty of Education, Department of Science Education, Ankara, Turkey, ilbilgedokme@gazi.edu.tr *** Gazi Osman Ozturk Secondary School, Boztepe/Kirsehir, Turkey, unluveli42@gmail.com 22 Zeynep Koyunlu Unlu, Ilbilge Dokme, & Veli Unludimensions, was calculated in the SPSS program (Cronbach's alpha and Mc-Donald's omega). To test criterion validity, correlation values were calculated between scores of the STEM-CIS and Interest in Science Scale (ISS). The test-retest method and item analysis were carried out. Also corrected item-total correlation values were determined. Findings:A scale, which consists of 40 items and four sub-dimensions including science, mathematics, engineering, and technology, was obtained as a result of the analysis. The Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficient was calculated as 0.93 for the whole scale, 0.86 for the science sub-dimension, 0.88 for the technology sub-dimension, 0.94 for the engineering sub-dimension, and 0.90 for its mathematics subdimension. Conclusion and Recommendations:The scale adapted into Turkish can be used to assess middle school students' interest in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering careers. However, each sub-dimension of the scale can also be administered separately to determine middle school students' interest.

The purpose of this study was to determine a group of middle school students' perceptions about the concept of scientific inquiry by using metaphors. A total of 120 students participated in this study. To determine participating students' metaphors about the concept of scientific inquiry, this study used two-stage questionnaire forms. In the first stage, it was aimed to gain knowledge about students' grade, gender, and school name. In the second stage, it was asked participants to fill in the blanks of the statement, "Scientific inquiry is like … because ..." on the questionnaire. As a result of the content analysis metaphors were grouped into 8 categories: gradual process, human output, individual having a profession, creature in nature, other, course, entertainment, and organ. Metaphors generated as a result of this study can be used in teaching and learning subjects of scientific inquiry.