Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 7, Issue 1, Article 2 (June, 2006) Sevilay KARAMUSTAFAOGLU, Bayram COSTU and Alipasa AYAS Turkish chemistry teachers’ views about an implementation of the active learning approaches in their lessons Contents Next

Turkish chemistry teachers’ views about an implementation of the active learning approaches in their lessons

 

Sevilay KARAMUSTAFAOGLU

Amasya University, Education Faculty, Department of Primary Science Education, Amasya, TURKEY

Bayram COŞTU

Karadeniz Technical University, Fatih Faculty of Education, Department of Secondary Science and Mathematics Education, Trabzon, TURKEY

Alipasa AYAS

Karadeniz Technical University, Fatih Faculty of Education, Department of Secondary Science and Mathematics Education, Trabzon, TURKEY

E-mail: sevilayt2000@yahoo.com and costubayram@hotmail.com

Received 20 October, 2005
Revised 31 January, 2006

Contents

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Methodology
  • Sample
  • Instruments and Procedures
  • Analysis
  • Results
  • Interview
• Questionnaire
  • The First Section of the Questionnaire
  • The Second Section of the Questionnaire
  • The Third Section of the Questionnaire
• Observation
• Discussion and Conclusion
• Suggestions
• References

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Abstract

Active learning is advocated as a better way of teaching for several decades in science education. The purpose of this study was to determine chemistry teachers’ thinking and views about student-centered activities applicable in chemistry teaching and learning in the study context. A case study approach was used in this research. At the beginning, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 10 chemistry teachers. Then, a questionnaire was developed based on the data obtained from the interviews. This questionnaire was implemented to 50 chemistry teachers in Amasya. Finally, a semi-structured observation chart was used in chemistry lessons to determine how these activities came true. In this way, the relation between teachers’ views about active learning techniques and their actual implementation of them were determined. The findings showed that although teachers are aware of student-centered chemistry instruction, they are still using traditional techniques widely in instruction. It was also found out that laboratories are physically insufficient in many cases and they do not have adequate equipments and chemical substances for performing properly the experiments. One of the reasons why teachers are not using these active learning techniques can be explained by the Student Selection Exam (ÖSS) done yearly to enroll students at Higher Education Institutions. Some suggestions were presented based on the results.

Key Words: Active Learning, Student-Centered Learning, Lycée Chemistry Education

 

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