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The Evaluation of Science Courses According to Constructivist Learning Environment
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Arsal, Zeki |
| Copyright Year | 2013 |
| Abstract | The aim of this study was to evaluate the courses on science teaching in the classroom teacher and science teacher education programs in terms of constructivist learning theory principles. The subjects of the study were 240 pre-service teachers. The descriptive method was used in the study. The quantitative data of the study were collected by the Scale on Assessing Constructivist Learning Environments developed by Arkun and Askar (2010). The qualitative data of the study were collected through an interview with teacher educators. The findings showed that science teaching in science teacher education program was based on constructivist learning theory. Group factor is important for science teaching in the classroom teacher education program. SUMMARY Purpose and Significant: Elementary school science and technology syllabus is based on constructivist learning theory. The literature on science teaching emphasizes that constructivist learning is a functional and affective learning theory for achieving the goals of science teaching (MEB, 2005). According to constructivist learning theory, knowledge is cognitively and socially constructed by the learners. Knowledge is not transmitted from external sources to the learner. Students are active in the process of constructing knowledge (Terwel, 1999; Maharg, 2000). The teacher acts as a guide in the constructivist learning theory. Teachers not only implement the formal teaching program but also change the objectives and content of the program by considering the learning needs of the students (Brooks, 1987). The teachers need to use student-centered teaching methods, plan teaching activities which develop the self-regulation and self-evaluation skills of their students. The teacher education programs and teacher educators are important factors for teaching constructivist learning theory to pre-service teachers. In this study the courses related to science teaching in the classroom teacher and science teacher education program are evaluated according to the principles of constructivist learning theory. Method: The participants of the study were 240 pre-service teachers in the science and classroom teacher education program. The study is limited to the courses on science teaching. In the study, the Scale on Assessing Constructivist Learning Environments developed by Arkun and Askar (2010) was used in order to collect the data. The scale consists of 28 items of 7 factors. The scale is 7-point Likert-type. The qualitative data of the study were collected through an interview with 6 teacher educators who were responsible for the courses related to science teaching in the teacher education program. Results: The findings of the study indicated that science teaching environment in the courses in science teacher education program is based on constructivist learning theory and the course factor is not important for the constructivist learning environment for the science teacher education program. However, findings showed that there are significant differences between groups of classroom teacher education program in terms of constructivist learning environment. One of the most interesting finding of the study is that there is a significant difference between science and classroom teacher education programs. The courses in the science teacher education program have more principles of constructivist learning theory than the courses in the classroom teacher education program. Discussion and Conclusion: The results showed that science teaching environment in science teacher education program is based on constructivist learning theory. However, the results were supported by the qualitative data of the study. The findings were not consistent with the literature (Dogan, 2010; Oguz, 2009; Sert, 2008; Ari, 2010) on investigating constructivist learning environment and teachers' competence on constructivist learning. The results indicate that science teachers will implement science teaching program based on constructivist learning theory. |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://dergipark.ulakbim.gov.tr/ilkonline/article/download/5000037740/5000036598 |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
