Examining the effect of laboratory activities on the science self-efficacy beliefs and attitudes of primary school teacher candidates

This study aims to examine the effect of implementing science-related laboratory activities on preservice elementary teachers' self-efficacy beliefs and attitudes toward science, as well as on the retention of newly acquired knowledge following these activities. Additionally, the study investigates the impact of the process of developing and implementing science laboratory activity lesson plans on preservice teachers' attitudes toward science laboratory activities, their science teaching orientations and conceptions, cognitive skills, and the quality of the lesson plans they prepare. To achieve these objectives, an embedded mixed design-combining both qualitative and quantitative approaches was planned. In this context, quantitative data were collected to determine the pre- and post-intervention differences in the impact of laboratory activities on preservice teachers, while qualitative data were gathered to deeply explore their understanding of laboratory activities and changes in their lesson planning. For qualitative data collection, a semi-structured focus group interview form was utilized. The study group consisted of 50 first-year preservice elementary teachers. The data were collected using self-efficacy belief and attitude scales related to science, and analyzed using SPSS 27 statistical software.