Problems encountered by classroom teachers in the teaching process of the science course

This study aims to describe the problems encountered by classroom teachers at the primary school level in the science teaching process. The study group of the research consisted of 320 classroom teachers working in public schools in the central district of Kırşehir, which is affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in 2018 to 2019 academic year. The study was designed with a mixed-method, where quantitative and qualitative research methods were used together. In the first part of the research, the scanning model, which is one of the quantitative research methods, was used. Within this scope, the whole universe has been reached and no sampling has been made. In the second part of the study, a phenomenological research design, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was used. In this context, the participants were determined by using the multi-stage sampling method. In the first stage, the schools, which the participants work, were determined by using the criterion sampling method, and in the second stage, by using the maximum variation sampling method, the characteristics of the participants such as the level of class where the participants provide teaching, their genders, year of their professional seniority, their classroom size, the faculties/departments they graduated from, and whether or not they received their postgraduate education were determined. Within the scope of the qualitative dimension of the research, focus group interviews were conducted with a total of 38 classroom teachers,24 males and 14 females. The literature was scanned in the process of the preparation of the semi-structured interview form questions, and the problems that teachers may encounter have been gathered in seven dimensions related to curriculum, teacher, student, textbook, learning environment, parents and administrative, and the data collection process was carried out with seven questions regarding these dimensions. The data obtained in this context were analyzed with the "content analysis" technique. In the quantitative result of the study, on the scale of the problems encountered by classroom teachers in the teaching process of the science course, it was determined that they experienced fewer problems in the sub-dimension of problems arising from the learning environment encountered in the science course, compared to the sub-dimensions of problems encountered in preparation before the process, problems encountered in the process, problems encountered in measurement and evaluation activities, and problems encountered with the curriculum of the science course. However, there was no significant difference in terms of the level of class where the classroom teachers provide teaching, their genders, year of their professional seniority, and whether or not they received their postgraduate education, whereas there was a significant difference in pre-process preparation and problems in the process according to the class size variable, and also across the scale according to the faculty/department variable. As a qualitative result of the research, the teachers stated that there were problems with the topics not being suitable for the grade level, the assessment and evaluation questions being low in the cognitive area, the lack or nonuse of the laboratory, the teachers not being able to update their field information sufficiently, the lack of a guide book, and the parents not showing enough support during the teaching process. In the solutions of these problems; it may be suggested to increase in-service applications in terms of quality and quantity, to the school administration supports teachers on laboratory use or the design of classes, to redistributing teacher guide books, to organize awareness-raising activities for parents to support the teaching process, to provide teachers take a more active role in revising textbooks and programs.