Pre-service Science Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs to Teach Socio-scientific Issues

Abstract

This study aims to examine self-efficacy of pre-service science teachers to teach socio-scientific issues (SSI). Twenty-three senior pre-service science teachers participated in the study. Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI) was modified with an emphasis on SSI rather than scientific issues. The modified STEBI was applied to the participants before and after the intervention. As for the six-week intervention, three modules, which focused on understanding nature of SSI, teaching and assessing SSI, were followed by micro-teachings on selected SSI. At the end of six weeks, significant difference was found between pre and post-modified STEBI scores. Besides, there was a significant difference between pre and post scores on Personal Socio-scientific Issues Teaching Efficacy subscale, while no significant difference is reported on Socio-scientific Issues Teaching Outcome Expectancy subscale. The paper includes some suggestions for inclusion of SSI in science classes and for further studies on teaching efficacy on SSI.Key Words: Socio-scientific issues, self-efficacy beliefs, pre-service science teachers. Uludağ Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisihttp://kutuphane.uludag.edu.tr/Univder/uufader.htm E.Z. Muğaloğlu ve ark. / Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi 29 (1), 2016, 95-110 96Fen Bilimleri ÖğretmenAdaylarının Sosyo-Bilimsel Konuları Öğretmedeki Özyeterlilik İnançları ÖZET Bu çalışma, fen bilimleri öğretmen adaylarının sosyo-bilimsel konuları öğretme hakkındaki öz-yeterliklerini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmaya, 23 son sınıf fen bilgisi öğretmen adayı katılmıştır. Fen Öğretimi Yeterlik İnanç Ölçeği'ne (STEBI), bilimsel konulardan ziyade sosyo-bilimsel konulara vurgu yapılarak uyarlama yapılmıştır. Uyarlanan ölçek, uygulanan eğitim öncesinde ve sonrasında katılımcılara uygulanmıştır. Altı hafta boyunca uygulanan eğitim, sosyo-bilimsel konuların doğası, sosyo-bilimsel konuların öğretimi ve ölçülmesi hakkında üç modül ve seçilen sosyo-bilimsel konular hakkında hazırlanan mikro-öğretimleri içermektedir. Altı haftanın sonunda, uyarlanan ölçeğin ön ve son-test sonuçları arasında istatiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark bulunmuştur. Ayrıca, Kişisel Sosyobilimsel Konuların Öğretilmesi Yeterliği altölçeğinde de ön ve son-test sonuçları arasında anlamlı bir fark bulunurken, Sosyo-bilimsel Konuların Öğretilmesi Başarı Beklentisi alt ölçeğinde ön ve son-testler sonucunda istatiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark bulunmamıştır. Çalışmada, sosyo-bilimsel konuların fen derslerine dahil edilmesi ve sosyo-bilimsel konuları öğretimi yeterliği hakkında gelecek çalışmalar için öneriler sunulmaktadır.Anahtar Sözcükler: Sosyo-bilimsel konular, öz-yeterlilik inançları, fen bilimleri öğretmen adayları.

Science Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Plastic Waste. (c2022)

“…Several science teachers perceived that plastic waste must be part of the curriculum as it can develop higher-order cognitive skills in students, such as critical thinking. These results are in line with several studies reported in the literature, which indicate that teaching SSI permits students to enhance their argumentative thinking, decision making, understanding NOS (Evagorou et al, 2014), and comprehending extremely nested interrelations between distinct aspects of the issues (Muğaloğlu et al, 2016).…”

Pre-service Science Teachers’ Views towards Socio-scientific Issues and Socio-scientific Issue-based Instruction

“…Therefore, we suggest that during university education, courses in which PSTs can learn more about SSIs and have more teaching opportunities in microteachings and real teaching practices should be added by revising the science education programs of universities. As Muğaloğlu et al (2016) stated that by providing PSTs opportunities towards integrating SSIs in different teaching settings, they might develop positive self-efficacy beliefs towards integrating SSIs into their future classes. Additionally, for science and elementary education teachers, in-service training opportunities for teaching SSIs should be provided.…”

“…Espeja and Lagaron (2015) are other researchers who collaborated with pre-service teachers and found that after the participants are taught through SSIs and SSI teaching, their understanding and ability in SSIs and SSI teaching increase. Muğaloğlu, Küçük, and Güven (2016) also found that if teacher candidates are trained about the integration of SSIs into classrooms, their understandings of SSIs and SSI-teaching and their self-efficacy beliefs towards bringing such issues into lessons increase.…”