Regarding Application Based Science Teaching Views of Primary School Teacher Candidates

Although an inquiry-based teaching is adopted in the primary school science teaching programs, methods and techniques based on such approach are not observed to be reflected on the practices at schools. The reason for the preference of conventional methods in science classes is believed to be the teacher training that is generally based on theoretical knowledge and the insufficient practical training. With this purpose, in the present study, classes that mainly included application were conducted with primary school teacher candidates attending classes I-II of the Science and Technology Teaching and the candidate views were obtained to identify the effects of application. The research was conducted with 31 primary school teacher candidates during the 2016-2017 academic year, and a qualitative research design, case study, was used. As a result of the content analysis conducted based on the views, categories including “Contribution to Method and Technical Knowledge” and “Contribution to Practical Skills” were obtained under the theme of “Contribution of Application to the Professional Development.” These results showed the importance of applied Science and Technology classes taught during the professional training for primary school teachers to utilize the methods and techniques based on the strategies envisaged in the science class programs and gain the self-confidence to utilize them.