Teacher Candidates' Perspectives about Applied 'Basic Science in Primary Education' Course

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate teacher candidates’ perspectives about the ‘Basic Science in Primary Education’ course which adopted inquiry-based instruction approach. The participants of this study consisted of 87 teacher candidates (18 males, 69 females) who continued their education in the Department of Primary School Teaching at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University in the 2019-2020 academic year. A form which consisted of 5 questions was used to investigate the perspectives of the primary school teacher candidates about the science course called ‘Basic Science in Primary Education’ and to understand their opinions about the process of designing a course and applying course plans using an inquiry-based instruction. Descriptive codes were used to find out the opinions of the teacher candidates, which also helped analyse the data obtained from the form and interpret the results of the study. The results of the study showed that the teacher candidates shared their awareness and knowledge about teaching science effectively, which changed with this course. The teacher candidates also revealed that they learned the qualifications of teaching science effectively. In addition, despite the awareness that the teacher candidates gained about inquiry-based instruction approach, they shared that they struggled with planning and applying designed course plans. The study suggests that courses aiming to focus on science education ought to have applied practices beyond giving theoretical knowledge.