DETERMINATION OF VIEWS OF PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS ON SCIENTIFIC PROCESS SKILLS AND LEVEL-OF-EFFORT ON BASIC SCIENTIFIC PROCESS SKILLS USE IN SCIENCE ACTIVITIES

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the views of preschool teachers on scientific process skills and basic scientific process skills they included in science activities. Study group included 32 preschool teachers determined with purposive sampling method. A semi-structured interview form developed by researchers to determine the views of preschool teachers on scientific process skills, and to determine basic scientific process skills they included in science activities, a science activity syllabus detailing the application process were used as data collection tools in the present study. Collected data were analyzed with content analysis method. Conducted analyses demonstrated that participating preschool teachers did not possess adequate theoretical knowledge on scientific process skills and were not completely proficient in basic scientific process skills. Teachers stated that science literate individuals would be trained as a result of development of scientific process skills. They reported that the predominantly utilized observation as the basic scientific process skill in science activities they conducted. Analysis of the application process identified that in observation, students were in the position of observation only.