A study on the effectiveness of a teaching based on socio-scientific issues in the training of pre-service teachers

Abstract

In this study, two different learning approaches (the Toulmin model of argumentation and whole class discussion technique) to the training of primary school teachers in Turkey were tested over socio-scientific issues. On the one hand, we identified how prospective teachers experienced a change of mind on these issues before and after the training, and on the other hand, we analysed the changes on their argumentation and attitudes. In this research model, the distribution of participants is in 53 experimental groups and 52 control groups, and the group equivalence transactions are done. The study was used three different measurement tools, such as attitudes towards socio-scientific Issues Scale, argumentation test and the Teacher Efficacy Scale. The study included teaching processes based on socio-scientific issues (SSI) for 5 weeks each. Furthermore, the indecisiveness participants displayed in socio-scientific issues completely disappeared in the teaching group following the Toulmin model, and each member of this group made a definite decision on the issues covered.

Keywords: Socio-scientific issues, teacher candidates, argumentation model.