Indication of preservice science teacher's levels of knowledge and attitude in basic astronomy issues

The aim of this research is indicating science teachers' levels of knowledge and their attitudes in basic astronomy issues. And analyzing whether these levels and attitudes change or not, depending on different demographic parameters (gender, age, level of their class, types of high schools which they graduated from, order of choices which they made before starting the study at their departments, where their parent's live, education and income levels. Their attendance to any event about astronomy, materials and methods which they follow up the knowledge and developments of astronomy with) and the universities which they studied in. Also the aim of the research is to determine if there is a relationship between science teachers' attitudes and their knowledge levels in basic astronomy issues. From four different universities (Akdeniz University, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Gazi University, Kilis 7 Aralık University) the students of education faculties and science teaching departments form the content of research which was employed relational screening model and causal research model as the method in. Research sample was formed by 453 teacher candidates who were chosen by purposeful sampling and studying at science teaching departments from all grades (1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th) in the universities which were chosen for research. The teacher candidates who attended the research filled up a form named personal information test which contains 13 questions and they were tested by five point Likert scale style test named Attitude Scale towards to Astronomy Which contains 15 questions which was created and developed by Zeilik,Schau and Mattern (1999) and adapted to Turkish by Canbazoğlu-Bilici,Öner-Armağan, Kazım-Çakır and Yürük (2012) And they were also tested by 30 question multiple choice test named Astronomy Success Test. At the end of the tests, data from both two scales were determined as matched with normal distribution and suitable parametric tests were tested via statistical analysis programs. Data acquisitions show that the attitudes of science teachers towards to astronomy are related remarkably to the universities which they studied at, their classes' levels, their fathers' educational levels, their monthly salary, their attendance to an event about astronomy and their style of knowledge follow up about astronomy. On the other hand their attitudes towards to astronomy are not related remarkably to their genders, order of choices of theirs which they made before start to study at their departments, the high schools which they graduated from, where their parent's live, their mother's education levels. In conclusion of the research, it was determined that science teacher candidates' attitudes towards to astronomy was high but their knowledge level of basic astronomy issues was average. It was indicated that science teacher candidates' attitudes towards to astronomy and their knowledge levels of astronomy issues were related positively and lowly ebb.