Comparing elementary teachers' scientific process skills and scientific self-efficacy levels: As a sample of Usak province

The purpose of research was to investigate and compare the 4th and 5th gradeelementary school teachers? scientific process skills and scientific self-efficacies withseveral independent variables. The sample of this study was 154 4th and 5th gradeelementary school teachers. Scientific Process Skill Test II and the Questionnaire ofScientific Self-efficacy were employed to measure the scientific process skills and selfefficacies of the sample of elementary teachers.After analyzing the data, the results show that elementary teachers have mediumlevel scientific process skills. Additionally, newly beginner elementary teachers and theelementary teachers who have been working in village schools have significantly higherscientific process skills than those elementary teachers who are older than 31 years oldand those elementary teachers who have been working in urban elementary schools.The scientific process skills of elementary school teachers statistically do not indicateany significant differences based on the gender of elementary teachers, the grade levels,and the school in which they graduated to become an elementary school teacher. Thescientific self-efficacies of elementary teachers statistically do not present anysignificant mean difference based on the variables mentioned above. However, there isa weak relationship between elementary teachers? scientific process skills and self-efficacies even though the Pearson correlation coefficient is statistically meaningful(r= 0,21).Key Words: Scientific Process Skills, Scientific Self-efficacy, ElementaryTeaching, Science Education