The effect of science teachers' thinking styles and epistemological beliefs on the methods and measurement tools used

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between science teachers' epistemological beliefs and teaching, measurement-evaluation methods and techniques, thinking styles. Relational survey model was used in the study. The study population consists of class teachers who were on duty in 2016-2017 academic year in Elazığ and the sample constitute of 200 class teachers. With the aim of data collection, "Thinking Styles Scale" which was developed by Sternberg-Wagner (1992) and whose validity and reliability studies were conducted by Buluş (2005) in Turkish, and for the identification of epistemological beliefs "Epistemological Belief Scale" which was developed by Schommer (1998) and adapted by Karhan (2005) in Turkish were utilized. Besides, personal information form that was prepared by the researcher and the form which was aimed to determine the methods and techniques of teaching and assessment and evaluation, which were used by the teachers, were also utilized. Descriptive analyses, independent sample t-test,oneway analysis of variance, pearson correlation, chi-squared analyses were used for the data analytics. According to the findings of the study, it was seen that science teachers have developed epistemological beliefs in "expert is a source of knowledge and learning is a talent" dimension of epistemological beliefs; have weak beliefs in "learning does not depend on effort" dimension; and they have positivistic and objectivist beliefs in "knowledge is unique and certain" dimension of epistemological beliefs. In the study, in some dimensions of epistemological beliefs resulted in favor of female teachers on the basis of gender variable. In some dimensions of epistemological beliefs; it was seen that teachers' developed (sophisticated) beliefs at lower teaching experiences were evolved to less developed (naive) beliefs when their teaching experiences were increased. In the study, it was found out that there was a meaningful difference between teachers'epistemological beliefs according to the variable of the institution graduated from. Science teachers used mostly multiple-choice and gap-filling questions; the ones at least or never used were identified as being structured grid, portfolios and diary. They used mostly the question answer and expression method and at least station, six thinking hats and analogy methods while using teaching methods and techniques. When the relations between the epistemological beliefs and the teaching method and technique used and the assessment-evaluation tool are examined, it is found that there are no strong relations. According to the findings of the study, science teachers had mostly legislative, executive and hierarchical thinking styles as well as the least conservative, oligarchic and global thinking styles. According to the gender variable, there were differences in favor of male teachers in the dimensions of monarchic, global and conservative thinking styles. In some dimensions of thinking styles, there were differences according to seniority variable. According to the institutional variable of graduation, significant differences were found in favor of education faculty graduates in the dimension of legislative thinking style. When the relations between thought styles and other variables are examined; it has been determined that there is no teaching, measurement and evaluation technique and technique which is dominantly used by a certain thinking style. There were significant relationships between only some thinking styles and teaching methods and techniques, measurement-evaluation tools. There was no significant relationship between thinking styles and epistemological beliefs. As a result of the research, the Ministry of National Education has tried to make the teachers working in secondary schools to have advanced epistemological beliefs, to raise awareness about their thinking style profiles, to organize conferences in cooperation with universities for this purpose, to add epistemologically based courses to education faculties, to develop epistemological beliefs has been suggested that they should be raised awareness about thinking styles as well as informed about alternative methods and techniques through in-service training course.