Preservice science teachers’ views on distance stem education and its lesson-planning process

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate preservice science teachers’ views of distance STEM education and the related lesson-planning process. The study was designed as a qualitative case study. Study participants comprised 22 senior preservice science teachers from a public university in the Western Black Sea area of Turkey during the 2019–2020 academic years. An open-ended view form was used as a data collection tool in this study to reveal preservice teachers’ views on distance STEM education and distance group studies when designing a lesson plan. The data collected by the study were analysed using the descriptive analysis methods. Being instructive, providing feedback to preservice teachers about homework and questions, improving both thinking and professional skills, and learning STEM and 5E lesson plan design were among those advantages of distance STEM education expressed by the preservice teachers. The preservice teachers also reported that the less-efficient nature of distance education and their experience of difficulties in communicating during the distance group studies as disadvantages of distance STEM education. This study is thought to contribute research in the field in both theoretical and practical sense.