Determining the concern level of science teachers about the laboratory and teaching process: The case of Ankara province

In this study, it was aimed to determine the concern levels of science teachers about the laboratory and teaching process. The study group of the research consists of 150 science teachers working in Ankara, both public and private, in the fall semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. The questionnaire applied to the teachers online consists of 44 items with 3 factors. The sample of the study was chosen according to easy sampling, one of the simple (random) sample types. In the analysis of the data, descriptive analyzes and Mann Whitney U test analyzes were performed with the SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science) program. The reliability of the scale used in the study was found to be 0.99 with Cronbach's alpha coefficient. As a result of the research, when teachers' concerns about field (science and laboratory) proficiency, communication concerns, and classroom management concerns were evaluated in terms of gender variable, it was determined that male teachers' concern scores were higher than female teachers' concern scores in all of these areas, and this score difference was not found to be significant. In addition, when teachers' concerns about field proficiency, communication concerns, and classroom management concerns were evaluated in terms of the variable of the institution where they worked, it was determined that the concern scores of the teachers working in the public sector were higher than the concern scores of the teachers working in the private sector, and this score difference was found to be significant. However, when the average concern scores of all teachers are examined, their field proficiency, communication and classroom management concerns are at a moderate level.