The effects of a laboratory instuction designed based on the ?predict-observation- explain? strategy on preservice teachers? on conceptual achievement, science process skills, attitudes and views about the nature of science

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a verification laboratory approach with laboratory instruction designed based on ?Predict-Observation-Explain? (POE) strategy on pre-service science teachers? development of conceptual achievement, science process skills, biology laboratory attitudes and nature of science in the general biology laboratory.In this study, the sample consisted of 122 pre-service teachers who took the General Biology Laboratory I course at the Pamukkale University, Faculty of Education, Department of Science Education. The research was realized in fall semester of 2007-2008 academic year. In this study, pretest-posttest with control group design was used. The night class students (60), which were taken as lower weighted standard points of Student Selection Exam (SSE) than morning class students, were assigned to experimental group. Day class students (62) were assigned to control group since the students were not assigned to the grorups randomly and the groups were already existed, this study was designed as quasi experimental. In this research, POE strategy based laboratory approach was applied in experimental group and traditional verification laboratory approach was used in control group.Following instruments were used for data collection from the students: Conceptual Achievement Test (CAT) Science Process Skills Test (SPST), Biology Laboratory Attitudes Measurement and Views Nature of Science Test.Quantitative data were analyzed through the making use of independent t-test, regresion and repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) for testing the hypotheses of study. The significance level for the study was accepted .05. Qualitative data were subjected to content analyses and Chi-squared Test, and the results were reported in frequency (f) and percentage (%).Results of the analyses showed that the effect of laboratory instruction designed based on POE strategy on development of conceptual achievement, science process skills, attitudes toward laboratory and views on nature of science was significant. Furthermore, although prospective science teachers reported that POE strategy was a bit time-consuming and challenging, they believed that it was funnier than other methods used in laboratory and more effective since it showed how much and what they knew