Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 15, Issue 2, Article 13 (Dec., 2014) Gülten ŞENDUR, Merve POLAT, Abdullah TOKU, and Coşkun KAZANCI Active learning applications in the history of chemistry: Pre-service chemistry teachers’ level of knowledge and views Contents Next

Active learning applications in the history of chemistry: Pre-service chemistry teachers’ level of knowledge and views

Gülten ŞENDUR¹, Merve POLAT², Abdullah TOKU³, and Coşkun KAZANCI⁴

¹Dokuz Eylül University, Department of Secondary Science and Mathematics Education, Izmir/ TURKEY

E-mail: gulten.sendur@deu.edu.tr

²Celal Bayar University, Faculty of Education, Department of Science Education, Demirci-Manisa, TURKEY

E-mail: merve.polat@bayar.edu.tr

³Celal Bayar University, Faculty of Education, Department of Science Education, Demirci-Manisa, TURKEY

E-mail: tokuabdullah@gmail.com

⁴Dokuz Eylul University, Educational Sciences Institute, Department of Chemistry Education, Izmir, TURKEY

E-mail: coskun.kazanci.deu@gmail.com

 

Received 11 Sept., 2014
Revised 16 Dec., 2014

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Contents

• Abstract
• Introduction
• The research
  • Purpose of study
  • Method
  • Participants
  • Data collection
  • Procedure
  • Data analysis
• Results
  • Results from the open-ended questionnaire
  • Results of the semi-structured interview
• Conclusion and discussion
• References

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Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effects of a History and Philosophy of Chemistry-I course based on active learning applications on the level of knowledge of pre-service chemistry teachers about the history of chemistry. The views of pre-service chemistry teachers about these activities were also investigated. The study was carried out with 38 pre-service chemistry teachers from a university in Turkey in the academic year 2012-2013. In the History and Philosophy of Chemistry-I course; instruction was carried out based on five steps that included pre-service teachers’ oral presentations, poster presentations, the assessment of the pre-service teachers’ posters presentations with a rubric, preparing a timeline, and an assessment of the pre-service teachers’ timelines. The data of this study was collected with an open-ended questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to all the pre-service teachers before and after the instruction. The results of the study indicated that the pre-service teachers’ level of knowledge about the history of chemistry had increased after the instruction. Also, interviews revealed that the pre-service teachers had positive views about the active learning activities.

Keywords: active learning, history of chemistry, pre-service chemistry teachers