Turkish Science Teachers’ Use of Educational Research and Resources
Nail ilhan 1 * , Mustafa Sözbilir 2, Ali Rıza Şekerci 3, Ali Yıldırım 2
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1 Department of Science Education, Muallim Rıfat Education Faculty, Kilis 7 Aralık University, Kilis / TURKEY2 Department of Chemistry Education, Kazim Karabekir Education Faculty, Ataturk University, Erzurum / TURKEY3 Department of Science Education, Faculty of Education, Dumlupınar University, Kütahya / TURKEY* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Background:
Research results demonstrate that there is a gap between educational research and practice. Turkey is not an exception in this case.

Materials and methods:
This study aims to examine to what extent and how educational research and resources are being followed, understood and used in classroom practices by science teachers in Turkey. A sample of 968 science teachers working at junior high schools in Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey was surveyed. The data were collected through a questionnaire consisting of multiple-choice and open-ended questions.

Results:
The results indicate that the most common sources of information used by teachers to follow educational research are “internet”; “radio”, “television” and “newspapers”; “scientific magazine journals”; and “educational books” respectively. In contrast, the least followed sources of information used by teachers are “educational symposiums, conferences and workshops”, and “educational scientific journals” and “dissertations”.

Conclusions:
18.7% of science teachers stated that they could understand scientific educational research. Science teachers’ level of applying the educational research results into practice was found as 5.7 %.

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, 2015, Volume 11, Issue 6, 1231-1248

https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2015.1374a

Publication date: 29 Sep 2015

Article Views: 1763

Article Downloads: 876

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