Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of argumentation implementation applied in the environmental science course on science teacher candidates’ environmental education self-efficacy beliefs and perspectives according to environmental problems. In this mixed method research study, convergent parallel design was utilized. Quantitative part of this study was based upon one group pretest-posttest design. Qualitative part of this study was based upon holistic case study. The sample of the study consisted of 26 3rd year science teacher candidates in A State University Education Faculty Science Education Department in the spring term of 2013-2014 academic years. The data collection tools were environmental education self-efficacy beliefs scale developed by Ozdemir, Aydın and Vural (2009) and drawings drawn by science teacher candidates to determine their perspectives on environmental problems. The experimental study took 7 weeks (21 hours). The first week involved the acquaintance with the students and briefing them about the study. Also, in this week, an educational plan related to the argumentation implementation was prepared and applied. And this week finally, scales were administered as pretest. The study started in the second week. The study took five weeks as three hours a week. Last week scales were administered as posttest. In quantitative data analysis paired samples t-test was used. For the analysis of qualitative data, categorical analysis technique, one of the content analysis techniques, was used. At the end of the study, it was observed that the science teacher candidates’ self-efficacy beliefs according to environmental education statistically differed in favor of the post-test. In addition, it was also found that, at the end of the study, science teacher candidates' perceptions of environmental problems differed according to their self-efficacy beliefs.
Highlights
Today, environmental problems emerging with industrialization such as global warming, ozone depletion, air and soil pollution, soil erosion and deforestation, depletion of species adversely affect the global ecosystem (Alnıaçık & Koç, 2009; IPCC, 2014)
When the studies aiming to improve the teacher candidates’ self-efficacy beliefs are examined, it is seen that there is less emphasis on the environmental education self-efficacy beliefs than other teacher self-efficacy beliefs (Nare, 2015; Holden, Groulx, Bloom, & Weinberg, 2011; Moseley et al, 2002; Moseley, Reinke, & Bookout,2003; Moseley et al, 2003; Moseley & Utley, 2008). In this context the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of argumentation implementation in the environmental science course on science teacher candidates’ environmental education self-efficacy beliefs and perspectives according to environmental problems
Effective environmental education activities should be applied for science teacher candidates during their pre-service training for a better environmental education (Özdemir, 2003)
Summary
Environmental problems emerging with industrialization such as global warming, ozone depletion, air and soil pollution, soil erosion and deforestation, depletion of species adversely affect the global ecosystem (Alnıaçık & Koç, 2009; IPCC, 2014). The fifth evaluation report submitted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2014) outlined the reasons for this situation. According to the IPCC, this increase can cause radical changes in the regional climate in the world (IPCC, 2014). People are harming their environmental by disturbing the nature of environmental in order to live more comfortably (IPCC, 2014). In this context what needs to be done is that people should learn their responsibilities related to the environment in order to resolve environmental problems (Altın, Bacanlı &Yıldız, 2002; Özer, 1991; Orr, 1994). People should be familiar with environmental issues, understand the system of environment and protect it Journal of Education and Training Studies
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