The opinions of classroom teachers on having students gain democratic values in life sciences course

Life sciences course helps individuals to understand and recognize their environment and themselves. In addition, this course aims to raise the individual as an effective citizen and responsible person. Teaching the democratic values found in life sciences course curriculum to individuals is of great importance. Therefore, this study aims to determine the opinions of classroom teachers about having students gain the democratic values covered in the curriculum of life sciences course. The study used a mixed method in which both quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed together. The study group for the quantitative dimension of the study was determined by the simple random sampling method. The group consisted of a total of 534 classroom teachers (254 females and 280 males) working in the schools of the Ministry of National Education as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-grade teachers in Melikgazi and Kocasinan county of Kayseri province and Gemerek county of Sivas province in the 2014-2015 academic year. On the other hand, the group for the quantitative dimension of the study was made up of 10 teachers selected based on criterion sampling. The data of the quantitative part of the study were collected using a questionnaire developed by the researcher. The questionnaire had 3 parts. To collect the qualitative data, an interview form designed by the researcher was used. Structured interviews were held with the participants during the data collection process. The quantitative data obtained were analyzed using the SPSS 22 software package. For analyzing the quantitative data, independent samples t-test was employed to determine whether there was a difference in terms of gender and belonging to any non-governmental organization. Variance analysis (ANOVA) was used to test the significance of differences regarding age, grade, and professional seniority. The qualitative data were analyzed with content analysis. The data were coded under themes and the frequencies were examined by coding the participants. The opinions of the teachers about having students gain the democratic values found in the curriculum of life sciences course were found to show no significant difference in terms of gender, age, professional seniority (working year), the grade taught, belonging to a non-governmental organization. In addition, the views of the teachers about having students gain democratic values covered in the curriculum of life sciences course were found to show a significant relationship with education level. This relationship was found to be between the doctoral teachers and associate, undergraduate and graduate teachers. In addition, it was found out that it was between undergraduate and doctoral teachers. Regarding the intensity level of the democratic values covered in the curriculum of life sciences course, the participants reported a medium level of justice value, whereas they reported a high level of truthfulness, honesty, tolerance, respect, and helpfulness values. In addition, the study found that the values that the participants mostly wanted should be covered in the curriculum of life sciences course were justice, respect, tolerance, openness, and honesty. On the other hand, the majority of the participants in the study were discovered to state that they found the life sciences course textbook satisfactory in teaching democratic values. The participants were also found to state that the classroom activities mostly employed in having students gain democratic values in life sciences course teaching program were drama, films, and sample case activities. Based on the opinions of the participants about the activities covered in life sciences course textbook used to teach democratic values, the most frequent activities were determined to be sample case, drama, role play, and question-answer activities. On the other hand, the least frequently used activities handled in the life sciences course textbook were found to be active participation, analogy, brainstorming, painting, biography, sampling daily life, group work, storytelling, learning through collaboration, problem solving, ordering pictures, scenarios, social activities, sketches, sports and cultural activities, singing, guessing, and debating.