Investigation of the science education undergraduate students? mental models of atoms

Particulate nature of matter and atomic structure is an important topic in science education. Observation and explanation of scientific subjects depending on the concepts is difficult and take a distinguished place in the history of science. Depending on its complexity and intangible structure of the atom, this subject occupies an important place and difficult job in science education. In this sense, atoms and the related concepts carried out in many studies of science literature.This work is intended to basic scientific concepts taught in the atom and identification of learning difficulties and pick up some tips to help. Firstly student ideas about the shape, description, size of the atom were carried out. Then what kind of concrete information about its intangibility outlined. For this purpose, a questionnaire of 4 items related to the curriculum of 10th class about Atomic Structure was prepared. This poll was applied on 295 teacher candidates of science education from Dokuz Eylül University. In addition, these survey 30 students interviewed about their mental models of atom.The results show that undergraduate science students have a sufficient formation about atoms since secondary school curriculum. However their mental model was closely similar to Rutherford?s atom. On the other hand students ideas were focused more to compare atomic size with a known dimension than to state numerical values. Finally, the data point out that students? imagination for atom is a concrete thing.Key Words: Atomic Models, Historical Evolution of Atom, Mental Models, Science Education.