An Examination of Understandings of Prospective Teachers About Science and Science History

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to reveal beliefs of prospective teachers about “science” and “science history”. The qualitative research approach was employed in the study. The study group consisted of 150 prospective teachers. A form developed by the researcher was used for data collection. The form consisted of open-ended questions. The data was analyzed using the content analysis method. As a result of the study, it was found that the prospective teachers explained science and science history mostly with the procedural understanding dimension. It was also found that the prospective teachers attributed the low number of female scientists mostly to socio-cultural factors, and success in science to cognitive factors. Lastly, the prospective teachers had positive beliefs about the contribution of science history to cognitive and affective domains, and believed that enriching courses with science history could be done by adopting a teacher-centered approach which involves the teacher’s explaining lives, works, or inventions of various scientists. It is recommended that conceptual, procedural, and contextual dimensions of science are addressed in courses related to science history, and prospective teachers should be informed about how to use science history in their classes.