Examination of primary school students' qualifications in understanding the nature of science in terms of various variables (Karaman provincial sample)

In this research, it is aimed to reveal the proficiency levels of primary school 4th grade students in understanding the nature of science in terms of various variables. In the study, a survey model, which is one of the quantitative research methods, was used to determine the competence of the participants in understanding the nature of science. The sample of the research consists of 454 students studying in primary schools in Karaman city center in the 2020-2021 education year. The sample of the study was created using the easily accessible sampling method. The scale of Competencies in Understanding the Nature of Science developed by the researcher was used as data collection tools. Frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, t-test, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were used in the analysis of the data obtained in the study. According to the results of the research, it has been determined that the level of competence of primary school students in understanding the nature of science is at the level of "I am Undecided". When the students' levels in the sub-dimensions are examined; It was determined that they were at the level of "Partly Agree" in the sub-dimension of scientific knowledge, "I am undecided" in the sub-dimension of Socio-Cultural Impact, and "I am Undecided" in the sub-dimension of Scientific Theory and Laws. While the level of proficiency in understanding the nature of science of primary school students did not show a significant difference according to gender, a non-governmental organization, participation in scientific activities, parental education and professional status, and place of residence, participation in experiments in Science class, status of reading scientific books and scientific journal reading status differed significantly in terms of variables. It was investigated whether there is a statistically significant difference in terms of the variables determined in the sub-dimensions of primary school students' proficiency levels in understanding the nature of science. As a result, it has been seen that primary school students are not at a sufficient level about understanding the nature of science regarding scientific theory and laws, their level of scientific knowledge is higher, they like to do scientific studies and they are interested in how it is done, but they are not at a sufficient level in establishing the relationship between science and culture.