Investigation of pre-service teachers' attitudes towards socioscientific issues and their perceptions of efficacy towards teaching these subjects

In this study, it was aimed to determine the attitudes of pre-service teachers towards socioscientific issues (SBK) and their perceptions of efficacy towards teaching these subjects. For this purpose, the attitudes of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade science, classroom teaching and pre-school teacher candidates towards SSI were quantitatively determined by an online questionnaire (socioscientific issues attitude scale); Then, in order to examine their efficacy perceptions and attitudes in detail, it was examined qualitatively by interview with pre-service teachers determined by purposeful sampling. In the collection of quantitative data, a total of 121; For the qualitative data, a sample of 10 pre-service teachers was formed. It can be said that the level of attitudes of teacher candidates towards socioscientific issues is medium/high. When we look at the descriptive statistics of the scale used, it has been determined that the highest average is in the sub-dimension of benefit and concern. For the sub-problem, pre-service teachers' attitudes towards SSI were examined according to the variables of gender, class, department, education level of parents, taking lessons for SSI, frequency of following scientific events, place of follow-up, place of residence, and perception of efficacy towards SSI. As a result, while the variables of gender, department, taking courses related to SSI and place of residence do not affect the attitude towards socioscientific issues, the grade level, parental education level, frequency of following scientific events, address where scientific events are followed, and the perception of proficiency in teaching SSI do not affect socioscientific issues. It was concluded that the attitude towards some sub-dimensions differed significantly. Pre-service teachers state the subjects in the program that they are familiar with, such as GMO, cloning, global warming, stem cells and nuclear power plants, as socioscientific issues that teacher candidates and students may have difficulty with. At the same time, they stated that students' misconceptions may be mostly on these issues, and they think that family, mass media and environmental factors will be effective as the cause of misconceptions. Since most of the preservice teachers said the same socioscientific issue as an answer to the question, it is possible to conclude that the SBK examples in their minds are limited. In the teaching of socioscientific subjects, the pre-service teachers stated that they would prefer educational videos, drama, travel observation and activities that would provide learning by doing and experiencing by associating them with daily life. They stated that the methods and techniques they will use in teaching SSIs and teaching other subjects are similar, and these techniques will be travel observation, narration, experimentation, role playing and drama. In addition, the candidates think that educational videos, models and samples, using materials and drama will facilitate the understanding of socioscientific issues. It is seen that the candidates use similar method techniques in determining the existing misconceptions, preventing and eliminating the formation of misconceptions in the teaching of SBK. Based on this data, it has been concluded that the candidates' knowledge of method-technical and appropriate method-technique selection is limited. Suggestions for the results obtained from the study and the researchers who will work on this subject are given.