Investigating pre-service science teachers’ informal reasoning, epistemological beliefs and metacognitive awareness regarding socioscientific issues: a case for nuclear power plant construction

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2011
Öztürk, Nilay
The aims of the present study were to investigate the relationship among preservice science teachers’ informal reasoning regarding nuclear power plant construction, epistemological beliefs and metacognitive awareness. Throughout 2010-2011 fall and spring semesters, a total of 674 pre-service science teachers participated in the study. Data were collected through Schommer’s Epistemological Questionnaire, Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, and Open-ended Questionnaire Assessing Informal Reasoning regarding Nuclear Power Usage. MANOVA, correlational analysis, and stepwise multiple regression analyses were conducted. The analyses revealed that the differences between pre-service science teachers’ epistemological beliefs within the two decision making groups were not statistically significant. Besides, results of the bivariate correlation revealed that there were statistically significant correlation between pre-service science teachers’ total argument construction and all the dimensions of SEQ except omniscient authority. Also, there was a significant correlation between pre-service science teachers’ certain knowledge dimension of SEQ and their counterargument construction. Moreover, the differences between pre-service science teachers’ metacognitive awareness within the two decision making groups were not statistically significant. Results of the bivariate correlation revealed that there was a significant correlation between preservice science teachers’ metacognitive awareness and informal reasoning outcomes. Finally, stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed that pre-service science teachers’ information management strategy was the only significant predictor for their rebuttal construction. Declarative knowledge was the best predictor of preservice science teachers’ counterargument construction while the second best predictor was certain knowledge for their counterargument construction. Finally declarative knowledge was the only significant predictor for the amount of preservice science teachers’ reasoning modes.

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Citation Formats
N. Öztürk, “Investigating pre-service science teachers’ informal reasoning, epistemological beliefs and metacognitive awareness regarding socioscientific issues: a case for nuclear power plant construction,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2011.