Determination and development of pre-service science teachers' decision-making skills and styles

The aim of this study is to investigate the decision-making skill competencies and decision-making styles of pre-service science teachers. Mixed method was used in the study. The study was conducted in the fall semester of the 2022-2023 academic year with pre-service teachers studying in the third year of Kastamonu University Faculty of Education, Science Teaching Department and taking the Science Teaching-1 course from the same faculty member. The study was conducted with a total of 13 pre-service teachers, 9 female and 4 male. An 8-week training was given to the participant pre-service teachers and the reflection of this training on the pre-service teachers was evaluated. The pre-service teachers were trained by the researcher on decision-making skills, processes, steps, styles and their importance in science education in a plan. During the training process, pre-service teachers were allowed to experience the rational decision-making process through various scenarios. As data collection tools in the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted at the beginning of the process to determine the pre-service teachers' knowledge about decision-making skills and styles and at the end of the process to evaluate the reflection of the process on themselves and the change in their styles; Decision Making Skill Test (DBST) adapted by Bozkurt (2014) for pre-service teachers and Decision Making Styles Scale (DMSS) adapted by Taşdelen (2002) were applied at the beginning and end of the process as pre-test before the process and post-test after the process. The quantitative data obtained were analyzed with the SPSS program. As a result of the research, it was seen that the post-test scores of the students for the DBST were higher than the pre-test scores and this difference was significant. There was no significant difference between the pre-post test scores of the DMSS. When the findings obtained from the interviews were analyzed, it was determined that the research process contributed to the pre-service teachers' decision-making skills, increased their awareness of decision-making skills, and they experienced conscious changes in their decision-making styles towards the rational decision-making style.