Investigating misconceptions of pre-service primary school teachers about heat and temperature subjects and their science learning skills

The aim of this research is to comprehend how pre-service teachers of primary school teaching program can get confused about the concepts of heat and temperature. Additionally, science learning skills of pre-service primary school teachers are explored in regard with gender, class year at university, and type of high school graduated. In order to reach a proper conclusion survey method of data collection was preferred as a part of quantitative analysis. Convenience sampling was used as the sampling method. It was carried out during educational semesters of 2015-2016 in primary school teaching programmes at two western universities in Turkey. Research participants were 410 volunteers amongst pre-service primary school teachers. Data collection tools were preferred as "Heat and Temperature Conception Test" developed by Ültay and Can (2015) and "Science Learning Skills Scale" by Chang et al. (2011; Turkish version by Şenler, 2015). Research findings shed light on some more frequent misconceptions of student teachers as "Aliminium is the best material to keep things warmer in a longer period of time", "Heat transfer between materials depends on amount of those materials", and "Temperature depends on type of material used". Moreover, conceptional knowledge level of pre-service primary school teachers about heat and temperature subjects did not differ according to gender and class year, while it differed according to high school type graduated previously. There is no significant difference about science learning skill scores recognised related to gender, class year, and graduated high school type. Finally, science learning skill scores of pre-service primary school teachers cannot predict signifcantly conceptional knowledge level scores of heat and temperature subjects. Keywords: Science education, heat and temperature, misconceptions, science learning skills, pre-service primary school teachers