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Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 16, Issue 1, Article 16 (Jun., 2015) |
Turkish Ministry of National Education (MoNE) decided to revise the curriculum of primary science education due to educational and scientific developments, and unsuccessful results indicated by the international assessments (TIMSS, PISA etc.)(MoNE, 2007; Acat, Anilan, and Anagün, 2010). Curriculum was completely changed and implemented nationwide starting with the 2005–2006 academic year and revised in 2013.
The primary (3th, 4th graders) and secondary (5th to 8th graders) science education curriculum focuses on the principles of constructivism in which students actively engage in their own learning tasks by doing and experiencing (MoNE, 2007). MoNE defends that students are required to understand the basic science concepts related to daily life during the scientific process rather than struggling and memorizing more formula-based scientific knowledge (MoNE, 2007; Gömleksiz, 2012). In this education process, teachers’ responsibilities are bound not only to teach science but also to focus on constructing knowledge in SPS (MoNE, 2007).
Therefore, science education curriculum draws attention to the fact that students can differently conceptualize the phenomena during the process of studying on their own acquiring scientific meanings as mentioned by other studies as well (Driver et al., 1994; Hırça, Çalık and Akdeniz, 2008). These conceptions which are different from scientific meanings are called misconceptions. To eliminate the students’ misconceptions, science course books and teachers' guidebooks were prepared according to constructivist 5E instructional model (MoNE, 2007). Briefly, the purpose of Turkish science curriculum is to enable individuals to learn science by acquiring SPS considering their misconceptions (MoNE, 2007).
SPS is described as defining the problems around individuals, observing, analyzing, hypothesizing, experimenting, concluding, generalizing, and applying the information they have with the necessary skills (Aktamış and Ergin, 2008). In science education, SPS can be divided into two groups as “Basic” and “Integrated”. Basic SPS refer to the following six actions, in no particular order: observation, communication, classification, measurement, inference, and prediction. The integrated SPS are complex processes that combine two or more basic SPSs such as controlling variables, interpreting data, formulating hypotheses and experimentation (Azizoğlu and Dönmez, 2010). All of these processes are connected with each other.
The important point that we need to pay attention is that students are primarily introduced science concept and SPS by PETs in 3th and 4th grades of their school life. However, researchers indicated that teachers did not have sufficient conceptual understanding of science and SPS (Nadelson et al., 2013; Aydoğdu, Erkol and Erten, 2014). Moreover, some Turkish researcher claimed that Turkish primary teachers have some difficulties in science knowledge, teaching science and inquiry learning (Ayas etal., 1994; Böyük et al., 2010; Tunç, Çam and Dökme, 2012; Koç and Bayraktar, 2013). For example, Koç and Bayraktar (2013) explored practices of PETs. They concluded that 75% of PETs have not implemented all the experiments which in science course book. According the results, The PETs asserted many reasons for the in support of their failure like lack of experience of conducting experiments. In another study, Aydoğdu, Erkol and Erten (2014) investigated PSTs’ SPS understandings in two directions as follows: basic and integrated. They found that Turkish PSTs’ SPS level was 55% in basic skills and 48% in integrated skills. Nadelson et al., (2013) tried to describe similar undesired results in their study. They stated that lack of PSTs’ using of inquiry to teach science content may be the attributed to their limited experience in inquiry science and complacency with direct instruction.
Briefly, accommodating the goals of science curriculum not only depends on a well-designed science curriculum but also on teachers’ qualifications. In that case, PSTs need to be trained to instruct practical science courses. Further, they should define and illustrate scientific concepts that they come across in daily life in a scientific way and how to teach them.
Theoretical Framework of the “Extended” Simple Science Experiments (ESSE)
Constructivism is a theory of learning. It is not an instructional method (Cobb, 1994). The 5E Model (Table 1) is one of the instruction methods of constructivist model which is often used in Turkish science curriculum. Moreover, course books, workbooks and teachers' guidebooks of science lessons were prepared according to the 5E instruction model.
Constructivist 5E instruction model can be enriched by using different teaching methods and techniques together in each stage of it (Ürey and Çalık (2008; Hırça, Çalık and Seven, 2011). For example, Hırça, Çalık and Seven (2011) used worksheets, science experiments, conceptual change texts and computer software; Ürey and Çalık (2008) combined analogy, conceptual change text and worksheet in 5E model. Based on this goal, Hırça has embedded simple experiment and SPS into 5E model for PSTs in this paper. Constructivist 5E Model and embedding SPS into 5E Model is described in Table 1.
Table 1. Embedding SPS into phases of 5E Model
Phases of 5E Model (Bybee et al, 2006)
Integrated Science Process Skills (Gilbert, 2011)
Engagement phase
Teacher asks some questions or presents an event to get students mentally engaged in the concept or process to be explored. S/he also identifies and notes students' prior knowledge about the concept.
In this phase, teacher encourages students to discuss (communicating skills) the subject by using their prior knowledge
Explore phase
Students actively identify and develop current concepts by exploring their environment or manipulating materials.
In this phase, teacher wants students to formulate their hypotheses of what will happen in the investigation. To verify the hypotheses, students’ goal is to identify variables, to define variables operationally, to describe relationships between variables, to design investigations, to conduct experiment, to acquire data, to organize data in tables and graphs by discussing each other (communicating skill)
Explanation phase
Students present their findings and explain what they have learned guided by the teacher
In this phase, students explain the relation between cause and effect, they analyze their investigations and their data by discussing each other communicating skill).
Elaboration phase
Teacher helps students to correct their misconceptions and, help them develop a deeper and broader understanding and to acquire more information.
In this phase, teacher tries to correct students’ prior knowledge that s/he meets in the engagement phase and s/he encourages students to transfuse their understanding (formulating models) into a new situation, context or daily life. Teacher also wants students to repeat the “explore phase” to apply their understanding of the concept by conducting additional activities.
Evaluation phase
Teacher encourages students to assess their understanding and provides opportunities toward achieving the educational objectives
In this phase, teacher encourages students to communicate again
