Comparing science process skills of prospective science teachers: A cross-sectional study

SPS is given importance in curriculum development and improvement studies (MNE, 2006). Therefore, students’ acquisition of SPS is emphasized. In this respect, teachers have an important mission in developing students’ SPS. For this to be possible, however, it is expected that primarily teachers should adopt and possess SPS.

Taking into consideration the finding that there is no relationship between SPS and grade levels, we have come to the view that it is having experience, not the grade level, which is important. Therefore, we suggest that PSTs are provided with environments in which they experience their SPS right from their grade onwards.

We also suggest that PSTs are provided with necessary feedback when they experience their SPS. This is because when PST answers to open ended questions were being assessed, it was seen that PST ignored some important issues such as ‘putting titles above tables, indicating the units while drawing graphs, indicating the origin as (0,0) in graphs’. Therefore, it is very important that PSTs are given feedback while they are experiencing their SPS.

Some activities based on developing of SPS can be prepared and these activities can be implemented in their courses while learning of PST. In parallel, longitudinal research with the aim of following the development of prospective teachers' SPS should be done.