The effect of laboratory activities based on a POE strategy for class teacher candidates' achievements, science process skills and understanding the nature of science

Abstract

The purpose of this study to investigate of "Prediction-Observation-Explanation" (POE) which was prepared with a strategy based on the laboratory approach, effects to the classroom teacher candidates' activities, conceptual achievements, the development of scientific process skills, and their views on the nature of science through the science laboratory. The sample of this research composes with teacher candidates who are students at the Class Teachers Departments of Pamukkale University in Denizli in Turkey and also studying "Science and Technology Laboratory Applications-1" education in 20092010 and 2010-2011 academic year are totally 150 students. Research design was used as a pretest-posttest experimental design. For a period of 14 weeks, students who are in the experimental group studied learning laboratory practice based on a POE strategy. To test the research hypotheses as data collection tools, "Concept Achievement Test, Science Process Skills Test and the Nature of Science Opinion Survey" was applied. Paired-sample t-test for quantitative data analysis, regression analysis was used. Qualitative analysis of the data, the frequency (f) and percentage (%) distributions, as well as Kai-square test was used. Results of the analysis has shown that activities which was prepared by method of laboratory based on POE approach, effects are significant on class teachers' conceptual achievements, the development of scientific process skills and the impact on views of the nature of science.