The effect of using web 2.0 tools in the teaching of socio-scientific issues on pre-service science teachers

The effect of 2.0 tools in the teaching of socio-scientific issues

Abstract

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the effect of using Web 2.0 tools in the teaching of socio-scientific issues on pre-service science teachers. A total of 24 senior pre-service science teachers attending a state university in the spring term of the 2021-2022 academic year participated in the study. The study was conducted with the participation of pre-service science teachers taking the course of Teaching Practice II, using different Web 2.0 tools on 6 different socio-scientific issues. The study employed the mixed method. In the quantitative dimension of the study, the “Web 2.0 Rapid Content Development Self-Efficacy Belief Scale” and the “Scale of Attitudes towards Socio-scientific Issues” were used as data collection tools. In the qualitative dimension of the study, interviews were conducted with the pre-service science teachers using a semi-structured interview form in order to get the opinions of the pre-service science teachers on the Web 2.0 tools-assisted teaching of socio-scientific issues. The quantitative data were analysed using the SPSS 20.00 program package while the qualitative data were analyzed by using the content analysis method. According to the results of the study, no statistically significant difference was observed between the pre-test and post-test mean attitude scores of the pre-service science teachers. However, a statistically significant difference was observed between the pre-test and post-test mean scores taken from the “Web 2.0 Rapid Content Development Self-Efficacy Belief Scale”.  When the qualitative findings of the study were evaluated, it was seen that the pre-service teachers were of the opinion that the use of socio-scientific issues in science lessons most improved their skill of solving problems in daily life. When the pre-service teachers were asked the techniques they preferred in the teaching of socio-scientific issues, the discussion technique came to the fore. Pre-service teachers think that socio-scientific issues should be taught as a required or elective course in undergraduate education. Among the discussion topics addressed in the project process, “Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)” was the subject that most attracted the attention of the pre-service teachers. When asked about the positive and negative aspects of Web 2.0 tools in science education, the pre-service teachers stated effective and permanent learning as the positive aspect and technological inadequacies as the negative aspect. Permanent learning came to the fore again when the pre-service teachers were asked about the contributions of the use of Web 2.0 tools in the teaching of socio-scientific issues to the educational process. The pre-service teachers found Scrumlr.io and Edmodo applications among the Web 2.0 tools much more useful in the teaching of socio-scientific issues. In addition, the pre-service teachers stated that they would make use of Web 2.0 tools in socio-scientific issue-based teaching in their professional lives in the future.