Supporting preservice science teachers' integrated teaching knowledge: Preparation training practices to STEM

This study investigated the effects of STEM applications carried out with the purpose of supporting the integrated knowledge of prospective science teachers on the scientific process skills, problem-solving skills and STEM education orientation skills of prospective teachers. The study was carried out in scope of the mixed method design of convergent parallel design. It was conducted with a total of 62 prospective science teachers including 31 in the experiment group and 31 in the control group who were studying at Fırat University in the province of Elazığ, Turkey in the academic year of 2016-2017. A STEM application was carried out with the prospective teachers in the experiment group for one term within the scope of the Science Teaching Laboratory Application course. In the following order, the prospective teachers, designed simulations using the Algodoo software, presented the designed simulations using the microteaching technique, and made alterations as a result of self-, peer and instructor assessments. As a result of the adjustments, the prospective teachers recorded the production stages of the simulations they designed on video. Additionally, the prospective teachers shot subject instruction videos for usage of teachers and students by using the simulations they designed. The videos were shared on the YouTube channel opened for access by both those who want to make designs using the Algodoo software and those who want to use them as instruction material. The quantitative data of the study were collected using the Scientific Process Skills Test, the Problem-Solving Inventory and the Integrated STEM Education Orientation Scale. The qualitative data of the study were collected via interviews with the prospective science teachers in the experiment group, the logs they kept during the process, and the observation form used during the microteaching practices. The SPSS 23 package software was used for the quantitative analysis of the data. ANCOVA was used to test the hypotheses of the study. While the semi-structured interviews with the prospective science teachers in the experiment group were analyzed using the method of descriptive analysis, the logs kept during the process were content-analyzed. The data collected by the observation form were also analyzed using descriptive statistics. According to the ANCOVA results, the STEM application was effective on the scientific process skills and problem-solving skills of the prospective teachers in the experiment group in comparison to those in the control group; however, it was not effective on their levels of orientation towards STEM education. Based on the qualitative data, it was observed that there were improvements in the scientific process skills of the prospective teachers such as experimental design, estimation and observation, they encountered various problems during the implementation, and they developed solutions for these problems using various approaches. The prospective teachers stated that Algodoo is a good tool for integration of STEM disciplines. They said that STEM education is necessary and important for them, much better products arise as a result of gathering different disciplines, but integration of four disciplines is not easy. According to the descriptive statistics on the self-, peer and instructor assessments obtained via the observation form, the highest mean result was in the sub-dimension of science, while the lowest mean result was in the sub-dimension of mathematics.