A review on learning styles and critically thinking disposition of pre-service science teachers in terms of miscellaneous variables

In regard to current objectives of the schools, students are being tried to thrown up who not only think but also think differently and not only memorize the knowledge but also look for the most suitable learning style for themselves among wide variety of learning styles. As a consequence of this, search on such topics as especially how the students think and how they learn has gained importance in recent years.

Science education given to the people born into and grown in a continuously developing world and society and whose interest to science lasts for entire lifespan constitutes an important part of science education continuing for life. In this context, science education should continuously be improved in order to prepare the human source required by the modern era. This is possible especially by means of improving qualification of the teachers, the most important factor of the educational process (Kaptan 1999).

A qualified teacher is an individual able to improve success of his students and having deep and wide field knowledge, field education, knowledge and skills. Additionally, the teachers are individuals who effectively utilize these skills they have in simplifying, making loveable and directing learning process in order to provide an effective learning environment. In order for the teachers to utilize knowledge, skill and abilities in educational environment, their cognitive features become important. Thus, critically thinking is among the variables that are at top of the list of the important sensorial features affecting occupational success of the teachers. So, increasing awareness of the science teachers’ critically thinking disposition and improving this disposition is very important in the institutions giving education to the teachers.

Being suitable of educational activities for the learning style of the student is one of the other factors that may impact academic success. For an individual, knowing the optimum learning style helps improving learning power (Askar and Akkoyunlu, 1993). Considering that the education given will provide success if it can respond to individual requirements, it is thought that considering the learning styles that are among individual difference in the educational process will impact the thinking dispositions. In this context, searching learning styles and disposition to think critically of the pre-service science teachers and the relationship between them seems to be an important factor for studies to improve education of the pre-service teachers and thus to eliminate the inadequacies in the science education and to improve it. Reason for this study was carried out on pre-service science teacher was that success level of the students in Turkey was much lower than those in the developed countries. There were many factors causing these inadequate results. These may include that the science lessons are given in a teacher-centered manner, the teachers spend effort to teach the topic, and the question in the evaluation period are overwhelmingly based on memorizing the topics (Bagci-Kiliç, 2002). The present study is expected to fill the gap in this area and guide other studies that will be performed in the future.

Because the studies performed out of Turkey pay attention to individual differences in educational concept, two important factors, “critically thinking” and “learning styles” have been began to emphasized more frequently in those studies. However, although many studies exist on especially these two concepts in Turkey, studies are scarce on whether there is a relationship or what type of a relationship exist between them. Hence, the present study seems to be important in terms of contributing to this field of study.