Teaching of the Subject of Solids Through Problem-Based Learning Approach

Abstract

The aim of the study is to investigate the attitudes of prospective science teachers towards the use of problem-based learning methods in the learning of concepts related to the subject of solids, and their opinions on its role in academic success, science process skills and the chemistry course. The study group consists of 83 prospective teachers studying in the science education undergraduate program. The experimental group and control group were determined by random sampling method. The problem-based learning method was used in the experimental group and the traditional approach was used in the control group. The experiment was carried out in a period of 5 weeks. As data collection tools; "Solid Concept Achievement Test", "Science Process Skill Test" and "The Attitude Scale toward Chemistry" were used. In the research, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), independent t-test and statistical methods with descriptions were used. The results showed that problem-based learning is more effective than the traditional approach to understanding the concepts related to solids by prospective teachers. The differences in academic achievement between the experimental and control groups in this study were parallel with the other results reported in the literature. Also, in terms of prospective teachers' development of science process skills and attitudes towards chemistry, it was seen that there was a significant difference between the groups in favor of problem-based learning.