Determining science teachers epistemological beliefs and exploring their influence on science teachers practices

Expressed in the science curriculum which is formed to educate individuals who have knowledge about science the epistemological beliefs of science teachers about the science teaching processes based on research / inquiry and it is aimed to reveal the reflections of these beliefs on classroom practices by using mixed methods. In this study, which uses a survey research design, it is aimed to reveal the epistemological beliefs of teachers and their reflections on classroom practices by using mixed methods. 54 teachers working in a medium-sized city in the Western Black Sea region in the 2018-2019 academic year, participated in the study. According to the Luft and Roehrigs' epistemological belief model, 6 teachers with teacher-centered, student-centered and transitional belief levels were selected among the science teachers participating in the screening research part of the study. The data collected through the epistemological belief scale with the participating teachers in the research process and the data collected qualitatively using epistemological belief assessment maps developed by researchers were analyzed. In the interviews, it is tried to understand whether there is any difference between the written answers given by the participating teachers to the questions in the interview form and the answers given in the detailed interviews by Luft and Roehrigs' epistemological belief model which consists of five categories. In the interviews, the written answers given by the participant teachers to the questions in the interview form and the answers given in the detailed interviews, were tried to be understood any differences in the epistemological belief model of Luft and Roehrig consisting of five categories. According to the results of the study, it was determined that the epistemological beliefs of science teachers were multidimensional. Accordingly, it was understood that teachers' epistemological beliefs may be at more than one epistemological level when the answers they give to different questions are considered. In addition, it was found that the epistemological belief levels of the teachers in the sample group that participated in the research were generally teacher centered and the teachers' with student-centered epistemological beliefs were less in the sample.