Pre-service Science Teachers’ Nature of Science Understandings’ Influence on Their Socioscientific Argumentation Quality

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate pre-service science teachers’ (PSTs’) nature of science(NOS) understandings’ influence on their socioscientific argumentation quality. This study was conductedwith 12 participants whom were chosen with maximum variation sampling method among 27 PSTs. Theclass of the participants was chosen by basic random sampling method. This study, which contains bothqualitative and quantitative processes, is an explanatory mixed method in which quantitative data are usedin more detail than qualitative data. For this study, which lasted 11 weeks in total, three groups with fourparticipants in each were formed. Presentations, whole-class discussions and small group discussions weremade for participants to learn fundamental knowledge about the NOS and socioscientific argumentation;and to have them basic argumentation formation skills. Qualitative and quantitative data analyses indicatethat understanding (low, medium, high) of the NOS impacts socioscientific argumentation quality. Ourresults also indicate that superior understanding of the NOS also predicts socioscientific argumentationquality.