Abstract:

In this study, it was investigate that the reflection of explicit-reflective nature of science (NOS) teaching and explicit-reflective argumentation based NOS teaching on prospective science teachers’ written arguments about NOS.  The reflection of different teaching methods about NOS on prospective science teachers’ written arguments was assessed by using open-ended VNOS-C questionnaire (Lederman, Abd-El-Khalick, Bell, & Schwartz, 2002). Sample of the study was composed of 70 prospective science teachers and two experiment groups. It was tried to bring NOS aspects to prospective science teachers, when first experiment group was enrolled in explicit-reflective argumentation based NOS teaching, other experimental group was participated in explicit-reflective NOS teaching during a semester. These experimental groups was decided to randomly assigned as first and second experimental groups from intact groups at department of science education in a public university. Prospective science teachers’ views about NOS were evaluated by using VNOS-C as before and after implementation. Findings of the study showed that second experimental group participating explicit-reflective teaching about NOS had difficulties in constructing arguments before implementation but they showed development in constructing argument and constructing a low quality of scientific data and evidence after implementation. Another finding of the study showed that when explicit-reflective argumentation based NOS teaching experimental group constructed low level of arguments before implementation, most of the participants constructed high level of arguments by using sound evidence and scientific data after implementation. Also, it was seen that a small number of prospective science teachers in this group used weak backing to questions about socially and culturally embedded NOS and creativity NOS aspects. As a result it was found that prospective science teachers get educated via argumentation based NOS teaching constructed more sound arguments about NOS than ones get educated via explicit-reflective based NOS teaching about NOS.

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