Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Higher Education Studies, cilt.12, sa.3, ss.47-56, 2022 (Hakemli Dergi)
This study aims to examine the thoughts of fourth-year pre-service science teachers about the nature of science.
For this purpose, the study preferred the qualitative research method and phenomenology design. Participants
consisted of nine pre-service science teachers. Participants wrote a self-evaluation report after the nature of the
science course. I collected data with this report and focus-group interview. I did the data analysis using content
analysis. The current study discusses validity and reliability. As a result of the analysis, pre-service science
teachers stated that they learned the nature of science by adopting the constructivist philosophy. Therefore, they
described that they will use the constructivist scientific language when they become teachers in the future. They
argued that students should learn how scientific knowledge changes and develops. In addition, pre-service
science teachers emphasized that teachers should direct their students’ learning processes according to the
constructivist philosophy considering scientists’ culture, beliefs, and prior knowledge. They stated that students
should understand the socio-cultural impact on the learning process. They also mentioned that students should
use their imagination and creativity so that they can learn scientific information meaningfully. Based on these
results, I suggested that teaching based on positivist philosophy would not remove the obstacles to students’
learning science.