A Problem-Based Learning scenario that can be used in science teacher education

The results of the research and the interpretation of the findings based on the qualitative data collected over the course of the study were presented under the headings given below. In addition to qualitative data, the discourse of the teachers immediately after the activity as well as questions and answers were included.

Findings Derived from the Observation Transcripts

The PBL activity was observed in accordance with the observation dimensions outlined in the observation form (participation in the activities, cooperation between teachers, the use of the scenario worksheets, the use of the time devoted to the activity, guidance and orientation) and the researcher recorded the observations. In this research, human behavior and actions formed the basis of the observations. The research carefully reviewed the observation form entries and the film that had recorded the PBL activity. The general findings were the following: In an examination of the participation in the activities, it was observed that the participating teachers were in full attendance at the PBL activity, that they worked in cooperation and shared information with each other. They referred to the computer and the Internet when they needed help. It was also observed that the PBL scenario whetted the curiosity of the teachers and that they tried to predict the end of the scenario, being thoroughly entertained by the activity in the meantime. The teachers exhibited the need for guidance in places where they got stuck. In general, the time allotted for the activity was seen to be adequate for each group. It was particularly noticed that at the end of the final part of the scenario, the members of the groups showed considerable excitement and enjoyment when they were asked to explain the scenario they produced to the group.

Examples of the some sentences from the observer's (O) notes on the observation form are presented below:

O: I can see that there is continuous communication at each table and everyone is actively participating. All of the teachers are at their own desks and I didn't see anyone working on anything else. The scenario really interested them... There is some serious cooperation and collaboration in the groups. They are working as a team; I did not see any individualization... They were a little challenged in the parts of the scenario that involved numerical calculations, but then they asked for help from the advisers... The time allotted was enough for them. They completed the tasks on time and none of the groups asked for an extension.

Findings regarding the Interview Recordings

Following the PBL activity, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 11 volunteering teachers and their voices were recorded during the interviews. The themes resulting from the content analysis of the interview records are as follows: (a) finding the implementation of the method effective and beneficial from a professional standpoint (b) implementing the method in their own classes.

In the face-to-face interviews, all of the teachers (n=11) said that they had theoretical knowledge of PBL but that they did not know about its practical application, further explaining that the implementation of PBL that they had experienced in this training had been very beneficial for them. Examples of the thoughts on PBL of the teachers recorded in the interviews, in the words of a female teacher using the code name "Sun," a female teacher using the code name "Entertaining Physics," and of a male teacher using the code name "Virus," are as follows:

Sun: "...We learned by actively doing, one-on-one. The PBL method allowed us to look at a real problem and so we were able to internalize the situation because we were personally involved."

Virus: "When we saw the PBL process in written form, it was useful to see the steps leading from one to another."

Entertaining Physics: Carrying out a method in real time, doing something I know the theory of but have never tried on my own, was very useful...

Some teachers mentioned that they would be open to trying this method that they learned how to implement in their classrooms. The comments of the teachers coded Pehlevan and Maroonfive are as follows:

Pehlevan: I found the implementation of the PBL method very satisfactory and useful. I can use this method in my class next term and I'm thinking of getting some help on this.

Maroonfive: I can use this PBL method in my classes. For example, I have a class called, "Science Applications." I can use it there.

When the teachers' comments were evaluated in general, the conclusion was drawn that the teachers benefited professionally from the PBL implementation and were interested in applying it in their classes.

Comments and Questions from the Teachers at the End of the Activity

At the end of the activity, one of the teachers related the story that a problem similar to the one in the scenario had been experienced with repairs on the teacher's car and that from now on, the teacher would look at problems differently. Furthermore, many other teachers at the end of the activity voiced their opinion that the real-life problem in the activity took them back to their school years and that before, they had looked at activities in the classroom from an educator's point of view but that after this instruction, they would not neglect to look at everything from the student's viewpoint. Some teachers said that such a comprehensive scenario could not be written by one person and asked about a way of handling this. As a solution, the researcher made two suggestions. The first of these was, depending upon the subject that was going to be taught, to keep the scenario to a single day (single session) or to make it longer (2 or 3 sessions). The second suggestion was to ask for the group teachers' opinions after the scenario was set up or to write up the scenario in cooperation with the group teachers. This type of an effort to develop the needed materials will create synergy between professionals and also reinforce the sharing of information.

Implications for Practice

This article presented a problem-based learning (PBL) scenario that can be used for the in-service training of middle school science teachers. The scenario was drawn up on the subjects of heat, temperature and thermal expansion within the scope of the 5th and 6th grade science syllabi and was designed to represent the stage-by-stage solution of a real life problem. The scenario was tried out in 2014 as a research project funded by Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) in different geographical regions and provinces of Turkey with elementary school science teachers. Throughout the PBL session, the unstructured notes taken by one of the observers showed that (a) all of the teachers had actively participated in the teaching process; (b) the group collaborated and worked together as a team, and (c) the participants found the application entertaining. The face-to-face interviews conducted with 11 participating teachers and the unstructured observations made throughout the PBL scenario that was introduced in this article reveal that such a scenario is an effective and useful teaching tool and can be used in a program of in-service teacher training. It is believed that the PBL scenario and the PBL implementation presented here will be a guide to research and to the practice of active learning methods in in-service teacher training. A review of the literature on PBL reveals many studies conducted at various class levels (middle school, high school, university). As mentioned in the Introduction to this article, studies on the use of the PBL method in teachers education are few and these are generally related to pre-service teacher training. Only one study (Gertzman & Kolodner, 1996) appears about PBL in the education of in-service middle school science teachers; this is a research project that was sponsored by the EduTech Institute at Georgia Tech. The results of the scan of the literature on the subject indicate that there is a need for more studies on the use of PBL methodology in in-service teacher training. Researchers who will be working in this area might be advised to undertake studies on applications of PBL in the various topics of middle school science classes (biology, chemistry, earth sciences and other science courses).

Acknowledgements

This study is a part of a research project sponsored by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (in Turkish: Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu, TÜBİTAK) in the scope of the Call for 4005 Science and Community Innovative Educational Practices. We thank TÜBİTAK for their contributions.