An ınvestigation of the relationship between pre-service elementary teachers' understanding of the nature of science and their environmental attitudes

ABSTRACT An Investigation of the Relationship Between Pre-Service Primary Teachers' Understanding of the Nature of Science and Their Environmental Attitudes GENÇ, ÖZCAN M.A. Thesis in Department of Primary Education, Department of Classroom Teaching Supervisor: Dr. Gülözge TÜRKÖZ November 2025 , 72 pages The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between pre-service elementary teachers' understanding of the nature of science and their environmental attitudes. The research was conducted using a correlational survey model, and the study group consisted of 96 pre-service teachers enrolled in the Department of Elementary Education at Pamukkale University during the 2023–2024 academic year. Data were collected using the "Nature of Science Scale" developed by Özgelen (2013) and the "Environmental Attitude Scale" adapted into Turkish by Yurt, Çelik, and Kalburan (2010) from the original scale developed by Fernandez-Manzanal et al. (2007). The findings revealed that pre-service teachers had an moderate level of understanding regarding the nature of science, while their environmental attitudes were found to be high and positive. While no significant gender differences were found in the understanding of the nature of science, the environmental attitudes of female pre-service teachers were found to be significantly higher than their male counterparts. As the main finding of the study, no statistically significant correlation was identified between the overall level of understanding of the nature of science and the overall level of environmental attitudes. However, a weak, positive, and statistically significant correlation was found between the Nature of Science subdimensions "Subjectivity in Science and Technology" and "Socio-Cultural Structure" and the environmental attitude subdimension "Importance of Field Trips in Environmental Education". Likewise, understanding of "The Role of Theories in Science" was positively and weakly associated with the environmental attitude subdimensions "Need for Education on Environmental Problems" and "Environmental Pollution and Protection". These results suggest that pre-service teachers' environmental attitudes may be linked not to a general epistemological understanding of science, but to more specific cognitive components, such as the role and function of scientific theories. Keywords: Nature of science, environmental attitude, pre-service teachers