COGNITIVE PERCEPTIONS OF PRE-SERVİCE SCIENCE TEACHER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Abstract

This research aims to determine cognitive structures about environmental pollution of pre-service science teachers and their perceptions of the most important environmental pollution in their lives. Data have been obtained from 33 pre-service science teachers. In this research, both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used together. Data is collected with word association test, open-ended questions, and drawing technique. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive analysis and content analysis methods. According to the data obtained from the word association test, environmental pollution was put into four categories. These categories are ‘sources of pollution’, ‘types of pollution’, ‘consequences caused by pollution’ and ‘those affected by pollution’. The pre-service teachers drew mostly air pollution and then water and soil pollution in their drawings. Similarly, pre-service teachers wrote mostly air and water pollution as the most important environmental pollution. The majority of the pre-service teachers were seen to have the perception that humans cause environmental pollution. However, it was determined that some pre-service teachers hardly mentioned the extent of pollution over other living things. Keywords: cognitive perception, drawing technique, environmental pollution, pre-service science teacher, word association test.