Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
EURASIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH, sa.58, ss.67-88, 2015 (ESCI)
Problem Statement: Research studies indicate that teachers with negative
attitudes toward science tend to use didactic approaches rather than
approaches based on students’ active participation. However, the reviews
of the national academic literature in Turkey located a few research
studies on the relationship between playful science experiences and
attitudes toward science. This study examines the following components
of attitudes: a) enjoyment of learning science and b) interest and
motivation toward science, the nature of the classroom environment, and
the content of group work.
Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study was to determine
preservice science teachers’ attitudes on the roles of playfulness, content of
group work, and the class atmosphere after taking a two-semester
required science methods course.
Methods: Data were collected by a survey and an open-ended question to
examine the role of playful science experiences and positive classroom
atmosphere on preservice science teachers’ attitudes toward learning and
teaching science. Forty-two preservice teachers participated in the study,
18 males and 24 females with an average age of 20. The course was
designed to model inquiry-based science teaching, and it focused on
discrepant event demonstrations and fun and playful hands-on activities
for preservice teachers.