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Asia-Pacific Forum
on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 10, Issue 1, Article 7
(June, 2009) |
When we look at the distribution of the percentage of correct answers (Table II), male teacher candidates have more correct answers than female teacher candidates. Although the mean score of male teacher candidates was higher than those of the female teacher candidates, the comparison of the total mean score of correct answers with independent t-test results show that the difference is not meaningful. Bacanak and Çepni (2002) investigated gender differences of mathematics teacher candidates’ scientific literacy levels. They argued that the male teacher candidates’ scientific literacy test results better than the female teacher candidates. When the results from this study were compared to the results of Bacanak and Çepni (2002) study, the scientific literacy level of male teacher candidates is higher than female teacher candidates.
In the study, two scientific literacy tests were applied to science teacher candidates. Bacanak (2002) determined that the overall average 54.30% and 59.10%. In this study, the average gained 56.71%. Accordingly, the results are similar in both studies. However, Manhart (1997) made a study with K11 and K12 students. He found average achievement of students in the science literacy test to be approximately 61.50%. It is known that one of the most important and a fundamental goal of contemporary education is to develop students' scientific literacy levels. Teachers must be achieving this aim. Science teacher candidates, who will raise the future generations level of science literacy, and students scientific literacy levels closer to each other, and even lower, is quite engrossing.
Table II showed that teacher candidates the lowest success rate (39.70) on the items of science and technology. A teacher who does not pay attention to the perspectives of science, technology and society, is not able to transmit a complete science to their students (Solbes & Vilches, 1997). One of the most important obstacles for even becoming an effective teacher are this negative findings related with teacher candidates.
Science today is much more part of the layman’s life than it was a few decades ago. Issues and debates about scientific research are no more only a concern of scientists and those directly involved. It has now become the responsibility of each and every citizen across the globe. Citizens need to be educated in science that enables them to understand scientific and technological issues. To achieve this, a teacher should follow-up on new developments in science or technology. A teacher should motivate his/her students to have habits of following-up on new developments, from television to today’s contemporary media (Solomon, 2001). Therefore, it is expected that teachers have high levels of scientific literacy.
A study conducted by Laugksch (2000) surveyed the scientific literacy of selected high schools’ grade 12 at the secondary/tertiary educational interface in South Africa. In contrast to biology, physical science plays a more significant role in the achievement of scientific literacy in the case of these students. Students taking physical science possessed a better understanding and awareness of all three dimensions of scientific literacy than students taking biology. However, in this study, there is not an important distinction between physical science and biology. The differences between the data in this study and the study of Laugksch (2000) may arise from the diversity of courses in the teacher education curriculum. In addition, although one of the most important objectives of teacher education programs is to educate scientifically literate teachers, this outcome can be derived from implementing the content of the courses.
Manhart (1997) investigated gender differences with regard to three factors of scientific literacy. His study involved students in Grades 9 and 10. A 100-item multiple choice test based on National Science Education standards was used to assess scientific literacy while gender differences were explored using analysis of variance procedures. Males tended to perform better than females on the constructs of science factor. Females tended to do better than males on the abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry and the social aspects of science. However, in this study, there is not an important distinction between social perspectives of science items between genders (Table IX). This difference is raised from the Turkish community's perspective on science.
Teachers who have low scientific literacy level cannot be expected to grow scientifically literate people or to apply the curriculum effectively. When we take into account the data obtained from this study, university-level curricula should increase the level of the teacher candidates’ scientific literacy.
Despite the difficulty of delineating the meaning of scientific literacy (Gallagher, 1997), it is accepted that scientifically literate teachers are essential in meeting society’s expectations of science education (European Commission, 2002).
