FİZİK ÖĞRETMEN ADAYLARININ BİLİMİN DOĞASI TEMELİNDE FİZİĞİN DOĞASINA YÖNELİK GÖRÜŞLERİ

Araştırmada bilimin doğası temelinde fiziğin doğası konusu ele alınarak, bilimsel bilginin özellikleri fizik bilimi kapsamında incelenmiştir. Araştırmada fizik öğretmen adaylarının bilimin doğası temelinde fizikteki bilimsel bilgilerinin özelliklerine ait görüşlerinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmada nitel türde betimsel analiz yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Araştırma Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Buca Eğitim Fakültesi OFMAE Bölümü Fizik Eğitimi Anabilim Dalında öğrenim gören 70 öğretmen adayı ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu amaçla bilimsel bilginin özelliklerini fizik bilimi çerçevesinde içerecek 7 ifadeden oluşturulmuş "Fiziğin Doğası ile İlgili Görüşler Anketi" (FDGA) kullanılmıştır. Öğretmen adaylarının ankete verdikleri yanıtlar "Gerçekçi", "Kabul edilebilir" ve "Yetersiz" bakış açıları temel alınarak kategorilere ayrılmıştır. Fizik öğretmen adaylarının bilimin doğası temelinde bilgilerin/fizikçilerin özellikleri ile ilgili görüşlerinin incelendiği araştırmanın sonucunda, genel olarak fizik öğretmen adaylarının çoğunluğunun fizikçilerin çalışmalarında kullandıkları bilimsel yöntem, teori ve yasalar ile fizikçilerin bilimsel bilgiye ulaşmada öznellikleri ile ilgili geleneksel yani yetersiz bir bakış açısına sahip oldukları; fizikteki bilimsel bilgilerin değişebilirliği, yaratıcılık ve hayal gücü ile fizikte ortaya konulan bilimsel bilgilere sosyo-kültürel hayatın yansıması ile ilgili ise yoğun olarak çağdaş ve kabul edilebilir bakış açısına sahip oldukları belirlenmiştir. Bu sonuçlar ışığında fizik öğretmen adaylarının eğitimine yönelik bazı öneriler geliştirilmiştir

THE VIEWS OF PRE-SERVICE PHYSICS TEACHERS ON THE NATURE OF PHYSICS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE NATURE OF SCIENCE

Introduction Although philosophers of science, science historians and science educators have not reached a consensus on a finalized definition of the concept of the "nature of science" (Lederman & Niess, 1997), in general, the "nature of science" is defined as the epistemology of science, the values and beliefs about science as the road to learning or the nature of the development of scientific knowledge (Lederman, 1992; Lederman & Niess, 1997). The fundamental topics of long years of research on science and the nature of scientific knowledge have been: (1) The changeability of scientific knowledge; (2) The fact that scientific knowledge is based in large part on evidence-based experimentation and observation; (3) Scientific knowledge is partially a product of the scientist's imagination and creativity; (4) Scientific knowledge is subjective; (5) Scientific knowledge may be affected by social and cultural values and may in turn have an impact on these; (6) Scientific knowledge is based on observation and inference; and (7) The differences in scientific theories and laws (Doğan, Çakıroğlu, Bilican & Çavuş, 2009). In order to teach students the nature of science in the most effective and productive way, prospective teachers must first understand that the subject of the nature of science is an important part of science education (Çakıcı, 2009). In this context, it has been deemed important to review and understand the views on the fundamental nature of science of individuals who are planning to become the physics teachers of the future, that is, pre-service physics teachers. It is believed that research conducted in the light of this information will make a contribution to the literature. With this in mind, an answer to the following question was sought: "What are the views of pre-service physics teachers on the nature of physics as part of the nature of science and the characteristics of scientific knowledge in physics and of physicists?" Method The research was conducted for the purpose of determining the views of pre-service teachers on the nature of physics and the related characteristics of scientific knowledge in physics; the study used the method of qualitative and descriptive analysis. The research was of qualitative design and used an approach of descriptive analysis. According to this approach, the data collected were interpreted in terms of previously determined themes and can also be arranged according to the themes set forth by the research questions. In the descriptive analysis, in order to more strikingly reflect the views of the individual subjects, the method of providing direct quotations is commonly used (Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2008; p. 224). The questionnaire used in the research contained 7 statements on 7 themes. The research was conducted with 70 pre-service teachers enrolled in the Physics Education Section of the Secondary School Science and Mathematics Teachers Training Department of Buca Education Faculty, Dokuz Eylül University. The data collected from the study group were used to set forth the views of only these 70 prospective teachers on the nature of science and were not generalized to other pre-service physics teachers. The purpose of the study was to determine the views of pre-service physics teachers regarding the characteristics of scientific knowledge in physics within the context of the nature of science. A "Views on the Nature of Physics Questionnaire" (VNPQ) comprising 7 items regarding the characteristics of scientific knowledge from the perspective of the science of physics was utilized for this purpose. In order to ensure the evaluation reliability of the VNPQ, the first researcher author assessed the responses and reasons provided by the participants, giving the item 3 points if it reflected a contemporary point of view, 2 points if it was an acceptable response, and 1 point for inadequate points of view. This process was repeated 2 weeks later by the same researcher. Pearson's Correlation Coefficient for the total points received by each prospective physics teacher on the 7 statements was calculated to be r=0.82. The prospective teachers' responses to the questionnaire were divided into categories based on the "Realistic," "Acceptable" and "Inadequate" viewpoints adopted by Aslan, Yalçın and Taşar (2009) in their studies, and the data collected were presented as percentages (%) and frequencies (f). In this study, the 7 statements could be answered with "Yes, I agree," "I have no idea," or "No, I don't agree" and the explanations starting with "Because..." were assessed as a "Realistic Viewpoint" that reflected a contemporary perspective, an "Acceptable Viewpoint" that reflected a reasonable and suitable perspective, and an "Inadequate Viewpoint" that reflected a traditional perspective. The quotations from the prospective teachers were coded and classified according to the total number of 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th year students in the group (i.e., PT1 (Prospective Teacher 1), PT2, ...., PT69, PT70. Findings and Discussions The findings of the study were presented in the form of responses given to each statement, the categories of responses, and the sample statements, together with frequencies and percentages. It was found that a large majority of approximately 78% (f=55) of the total of prospective physics teachers believed that theories in physics would turn into law once evidence was presented with time. It was seen that 80% (f=56) of the total of prospective teachers had the inadequate viewpoint that physicists always used a single and specific scientific method and that their results would be unsuccessful and invalid if they did not use this method. Similarly, out of the total of prospective physics teachers, a high percentage of about 85% (f=60) stated that the laws of physics were more superior and more reliable than theory, while a group of approximately 55% (f=38) exhibited the inadequate or traditional viewpoint that physicists had to be objective and impartial in their research and that individual differences should not be reflected in science. The inadequate viewpoints of the prospective physics teachers are in keeping with the results of studies related to the nature of science reported in the field literature. On the other hand, it was also found that prospective physics teachers exhibited realistic and acceptable viewpoints that displayed a belief in the changeability of scientific knowledge in physics and accepted that the imagination and creativity of physicists in reaching scientific knowledge and the scientific knowledge generated by physicists were impacted by sociocultural life, religious beliefs, nationalistic views and other elements. In this context, about 78% (f=55) of the realistic and acceptable viewpoints of the prospective physics teachers revealed a belief in the changeability of scientific knowledge in physics, whereas about 84% felt that physicists attained knowledge not only by experimentation but by reaching scientific results through creativity and imagination. Another large group of 64% (f=59) displayed the contemporary viewpoint that physicists' theories were affected by their beliefs, nationalist feelings and socio-cultural lifestyles. The results set forth by Aslan,Yalçın and Taşar (2009) are parallel to the results of this study in that a noticeably high rate of 50% of science and technology teachers in their research maintained the realistic viewpoint that physicists are influenced in their scientific research by socio-cultural factors, the period in which they live, and other elements. Again, the results reported from the same study indicate that consistent with the 78% who believe in the changeability of scientific knowledge in this study, a similar rate of 77% of science and technology teachers believed that scientific knowledge may change in future. Conclusions and Suggestions The results of this study, which explored the views of pre-service physics teachers regarding the characteristics of scientific knowledge about physics and the characteristics of physicists within the context of the nature of science from a perspective of the nature of physics, determined that in general, most pre-service physics teachers had traditional, or rather inadequate, views about the scientific methods, theories and laws physicists used in their work and about the subjectivity of physicists in accessing scientific knowledge. It was further seen that many pre-service teachers had a contemporary and acceptable outlook on the changeability of scientific knowledge in physics and how sociocultural life has an impact on the knowledge set forth in physics. In the light of these findings, the following suggestions might be made: 1) Courses that focus on the philosophy of science and that contain information on the scientific and social lives of physicists, their discoveries, and the historical development and scientific characteristics of physics, such as "The History and Nature of Physics" and "The Philosophy of Physics," may be added to the curriculums of the Physics Education Section of the Education Faculties for the benefit of prospective physics teachers. 2) More in-depth research may be planned to set forth the reasons prospective science and physics teachers hold the views they do about the nature of physics. 3) A similar study may be conducted with physics teachers currently teaching at public and private schools operating under the Ministry of National Education.

___

Turkish Studies (Elektronik)-Cover
  • ISSN: 1308-2140
  • Yayın Aralığı: Yılda 4 Sayı
  • Başlangıç: 2006
  • Yayıncı: Mehmet Dursun Erdem