The factors affecting the pre-service primary teachers'adequacies on science process skills

The purpose of the study is to create and test a model about pre-service primary teachers? science process skills adequacy. The main goal of the model is to find out the variables affecting pre-service teachers? science process skills directly or indirectly. By utilizing the findings of previous research and in line with the goal of this study, the following variables were put in action for the model; gender, parents? education level, income, quantitative score of university entrance exam, the average score of science courses, the average of basic quantitative courses, grade point average, science attitudes, science self efficacy and cognitive development. The population of the study was 371 students of fourth year studying at the department of primary education, Gazi Education Faculty, Gazi University. The sample of the study consisted of 277 pre-service teachers out of 371. In order to collect the data a science process skills test, a science attitudes scale, a self-efficacy scale, a test of logical thinking and an information form developed by the researcher were employed. Data obtained was entered to SPSS and a data set of the study was generated. AMOS 5.0 was used to do a Path analysis in the statistical analysis. The findings can be summarized as the following: 1. 36 percent of the variance which was observed from pre-service teachers? science process skills scores is explained. 2. The most important variable in terms of the contribution to the explanation of the variance with ,58 direct effect is the cognitive development. 3. The variables in the model that are gender, mother?s education level, quantitative score of university entrance exam, the average score of science courses, the average of basic quantitative courses, grade point average and science self efficacy, do not have a direct effect on science process skills, but they have an indirect effect on science process skills. 4. The variable that has the highest effect with an indirect effect on science process skills with ,178 is ?quantitative score of university entrance examination?.