Improving Pre-Service Teachers' Science Process Skills and Views about Scientific Inquiry

Despite the importance of scientific inquiry in science education, research has shown that pre-service teachers have deficiencies in terms of knowledge and skills. This study aimed to improve pre-service teachers' science process skills and views about scientific inquiry through inquiry-based activities. This study was carried out with one group pretest-posttest experimental design. A total of 41 (30 females, 11 males) pre-service teachers attending a classroom teaching program of a university in Turkey participated in this study. Within the scope of a science and technology laboratory course, scientific inquiry activities were carried out. As the data collection instruments, the Views about Scientific Inquiry (VASI) and the Scientific Process Skills Test (SPSt) were administered to the pre-service teachers before and after the implementation. In conclusion the pre-service teachers' views and skills about doing scientific inquiry developed. The findings were discussed in terms of the scientific process skills involved in scientific inquiry and the development of practical and theoretical aspects of scientific inquiry.