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Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 17, Issue 2, Article 6 (Dec., 2016) |
The effect of an instructional intervention on enhancement pre-service science teachers’ science processes skills
Hüsnüye DURMAZ
Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Faculty of Education, Trakya University, Edirne / TURKEY
E-mail: husniyedurmaz@trakya.edu.tr
Received 12 Oct., 2016
Revised 21 Dec., 2016
The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of an instructional intervention on enhancement the pre-service science teachers’ (PSTs) science process skills (SPSs) and to identify problems in using SPSs through Laboratory Applications in Science Education-I course (LASE-I). One group pretest-posttest pre-experimental design was employed. An instructional intervention was performed in order to integrate the learning of science processes into the flow of the traditional cook-book LASE-I course by embedding inquiry-oriented activities into the redesigned laboratory applications course for enhancing the PSTs’ awareness and understandings of science processes. The intervention was supported by means of scaffolding at strategic points. The test of SPSs consisting of 36 multiple-choice questions and including five sub-sets process skills objectives was administered to define integrated process skills of the participants. The worksheets and/or experiment reports of the PSTs were used as qualitative data resources, and their performances related the skills of designing experiment, graphing, and tabulating data were analyzed using the multiple format instruments including analytic criteria scale of designing experiment, checklist of line graph, and tabulating data skills test. A question form was also utilized at the end of the semester in order to find out the PSTs’ opinions about the effect of the course. At the end of the study, while it had some limitations, it is possible to suggest that the instructional intervention embedded inquiry-oriented lab activities had a positive effect on enhancement of the PSTs integrated SPSs.
Keywords: Instructional intervention, laboratory practical activities, pre-service science teacher, science process skills
