Abstract
This study aims to determine prospective chemistry teachers’ cognitive structures about the concept of globalization. The study employs case study- one of qualitative research methods. 20 prospective chemistry teachers were included in the research. The participants were chosen in purposeful sampling method. The research data were collected through a test of three open-ended questions developed by the researchers. The prospective teachers were asked questions on what globalization meant, what the environmental consequences of globalization were, and what the effects of globalization on the world were and they were required to answer the questions in writing. The written answers that prospective chemistry teachers gave to the open-ended questions will be put to content analysis. The findings to be obtained through content analysis were divided into themes related to the concept of globalization and categories defined. After the analysis of the themes and categories, prospective chemistry teachers’ cognitive structures about the concept of globalization were revealed and then the findings were discussed in details.
Highlights
Cognitive structures are the schemata through which students organise various concepts and they relate them so that they can understand a subject better [1, 2]
As evident from the prospective teachers' statements in the category of "the definition of the concept of globalization", two of the prospective teachers mentioned the process of integrating societies and cultures, world's becoming an open market and the process of international integration; six mentioned regional phenomena's becoming global phenomena and five mentioned nation's coming together and searching for solutions to environmental problems
Prospective teachers' statements in the category of "the environmental consequences of the concept of globalization", on the other hand, demonstrated that three of them mentioned increase in greenhouse gases in consequence of economic development; four mentioned emergence of environmental problems in consequence of increase in competition between countries and companies; three mentioned world countries' search for solutions to environmental problems; four mentioned countries' remaining in contact for the environment; three mentioned environmental problems being the concern for all humans and fourteen mentioned increase in environmental problems
Summary
Cognitive structures are the schemata through which students organise various concepts and they relate them so that they can understand a subject better [1, 2]. Globalization causes nations to face environmental problems that they cannot solve on their own. Those negative effects and harms of globalization especially in terms of environment can only be prevented or reduced through solutions and precautions involving global cooperation, international agreement, solidarity and universal approaches [6]. A review of literature makes it clear that only a small number of studies analysing students’ cognitive structures about various environmental issues [greenhouse effect and global warming- 7, 8; carbon cycle- 9] are available. The absence of studies analysing the concept of globalization along with students’/prospective teachers’ cognitive structures demonstrates the importance of this current study in that it is the first in relevant literature
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