Investigation of effect of scaffolded inquiry-based instruction

The effect of Scaffolded Inquiry-Based Instruction (SIBI) with respect to the Inquiry-Based Instruction (IBI) on science teacher candidates' understanding and misconceptions in simple electric circuits (USEC and MSEC), their Science Process Skills (SPS), and their Views about Nature of Science (VNoS) was compared and investigated in this study. The study was conducted with 63 freshman science teacher candidates in the Physics Laboratory II course in the Elementary Science Education Department, Faculty of Education, Fırat University in the spring term of 2016-2017 academic year. Four or five-person-groups were formed with the science teacher candidates, who randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. The SIBI was implemented in the experimental group while the IBI was implemented in the control group during the laboratory courses. It took six weeks to conduct the study. The Simple Electric Circuits Diagnostic Test (SECDT), which is a three-tier test, Test of Science Process Skills (TSPS), and Test of Views about Nature of Science (TVNoS) were administered to the science teacher candidates before and after the treatments as pre-tests and post-tests. MANOVA, ANCOVA, and profile analysis were utilized for the data analysis. The results yielded statistically a non-significant but practically a significant difference with small to medium effect size in USEC post-test scores in favor of the control groups. Any statistically or practically significant difference could not be observed in MSEC post-test scores of the groups. However, mean scores were observed to significantly increase within groups when pre- and post-test scores were compared. Both SIBI and IBI were observed to develop the science process skills of the students statistically and practically significantly. When post-test TSPS scores of the groups were compared, statistically non-significant but practically a significant difference with small to medium effect size in favor of the control group was found. In developing SPS, the IBI is a little better than the SIBI. When the groups were compared with respect to the TVNoS post-test scores, any significant difference could not be found. Meanwhile, within the groups, any progress in the TVNoS scores could not be observed either. Teacher candidates' postest scores were compared with respect to gender as well. USEC posttest scores of the male science teachers were not statistically but practically more than females' with small effect size. MSEC posttest scores of females were statistically and practically more than males'. When TSPS posttest scores were compared, females' were again statistically and practically more than males'. Finally, when TVNoS posttest scores were compared, any statistically and practically significant difference could be observed. Key Words: Scaffolded Inquiry-Based Instruction Method, Misconceptions, Sciene Process Skills, Views of Nature of Science