The effectiveness of argumentation based inquiry teaching practices in science teacher education

The aim of the study is to develop, implement and evaluate argumentation-based inquiry teaching practices. In this context, the practices based on argumentation-based inquiry have been developed to educate individuals who have mental flexibility, an ability to look at events from different perspectives, to think in alternative ways, have necessary skills for the 21th century. The planned argumentation-based inquiry teaching practices have been implemented for 14-weeks in the selective course of "Science Literacy" which is the part of 2016-2017 fall semester undergraduate departmant schedule of Science Education in Hacettepe University. In order to evaluate the effects of implementations, the influences of argumentation-based inquiry teaching practices on pre-service science teachers' 21st century skills and teaching-learning approach and also pre-service sicence teachers' views on these practices are examined. In the study as a mixed research methods research "Convergent parallel design" (QUALITATIVE+QUANTITATIVE) was used. The quantitative part of the study was designed as "one-group pretest-posttest poor experimental design" whereas the qualitative part was designed as "a case study". The participants of the study were 39 pre-service teachers taking the course of "Science Literacy" at the division of Science Education. The quantitative data were collected by using following tools: Scientific Process Skills Test, Criticial Thinking Tendency Scale, Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, The Nature of Science Views Test and Teaching-Learning Conceptions Scale. The qualitative data were collected through semi-structures interview form, document analysis (experiment design studies, activity reports, learning diaries, reflective evaluation notes) and observation notes. Both qualitative and quantitative findings showed that 14 week argumentation-based inquiry teaching practices contributed to the pre-service teachers' scientific process skills, crticial thinking skills, metacognitive awareness and the their views about the nature of science. While the quantitative findings also indicated that the views of the pre-service teachers about teaching-learning conceptions did not significantly improve. the qualitative findings illustrated that the experiences of pre-service teachers on class activities enabled them aware of the benefit og this approach and contributed to their vocational development. The code and categories obtained from the views of pre-service science teachers showed that the argumentation-based inquiry teaching practices contributed to many learning areas thus is one of the most influential teaching methods in educating individuals who have science literacy. Keywords: science teacher education, inquiry based learning, argumentation based learning, science education, 21st century skills, science literacy, scientific process skills, higher order thinking skills, views of nature of science, teaching-learning conceptions