 |
Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 16, Issue 1, Article 8 (Jun., 2015) |
Subjects
In this study the three hundred thirty five elementary pre-service teachers, who were senior and junior, participated in the data collection procedure. All the data was collected from four different countries, 68 from US, 105 from Turkey, and 162 from Belgium and the Netherland (Table 2). However, the sub-sample in Belgium and the Netherland included students from other nine European countries who were in the school through Erasmus Exchange Program. As known Erasmus means European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students. In this program students have opportunity to study or gain work experience in a different European country while completing their degrees. While data collection process in Belgium and Netherland, 59 pre-service teachers from 9 different countries participated in this study.
Table 2. Subject of pre-service teachers participating
Countries
Female
Male
Total
Turkey (T)
75
305
105
United State (US)
47
21
68
Europe (E)
Belgium
29
12
41
Netherland
42
20
62
Greece
2
3
5
Czech Republic
7
3
10
Bulgaria
3
3
6
Poland
2
5
7
Latvia
3
2
5
Hungary
2
4
6
Austria
2
2
4
Spain
4
5
9
Malta
3
4
7
221
114
335
Instrument
The study was carried out in two parts. The first part was DAST-C questionnaire. Each student was given two pieces of paper with the following instruction: Could you draw a picture of a scientist? (Try to draw one in the rectangular box below) and please explain what Scientist is Doing? The second part of regarding source of scientist image was adapted by Pedersen and Turkmen (2005) and a little changed for this study. In the second part two questions were asked, first “Where they obtain most of their information about scientist” and “The Most Frequent Way Students Study/Learn about Scientist,” with four lickert scale. The instrument language was English and there was not translate to any other foreign languages for European elementary pre-service teachers because they were Erasmus mobility students and knew the English. On the other hand translation was made for Turkish elementary pre-service teachers by 3 academicians.
