Abstract:

In this study it was aimed to investigate the science and technology teacher opinions regarding using zoos which are one of the out of school learning environments, as an educational resource in science teaching. For this purpose, a qualitative data was obtained by semistructured interviews in order to resolve the problem. Study group which was selected with purposeful sampling strategy was composed 36 science and technology teachers who works in Gölcük which is a district in the province of Kocaeli. The study was conducted in 2011-2012 academic year. In this study as a data collection instrument, semistructured interviews were conducted with teachers in order to obtain their conceptions regarding the current status of zoos in science teaching. For analysis of data collected through semi-structured interviews, content analysis technique was used. As a result of interviews conducted with teachers, it was emerged teachers can bennefit from zoos in education and training activities that are related to science and technology course curriculum. Meanwhile, they have stated the contribution of zoos to education by emphasizing the positive effects of zoos on students cognitive and affective characteristics. The results of this study in which science and technology teachers opinions were evaluated, presented findings regarding the usage of zoos as an educational resourse to promote science teaching in Turkey and contributed to the literature.

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