An Investigation Of The Students’ Levels Of Understanding The Concept Of Matter, Misconceptions And The Logical Thinking Ability, Attitude Towards Science

Erdem, E., Yılmaz, A., Atav, E., & Gücüm, B.

Paper of the national journal, Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi

Turkish

In this study the relationship between Hacettepe University Education Faculty Science Teacher Department 1st class students’ (70 persons) misconceptions in relation with “substance and its properties” and students’ meaningful learning levels of concepts related with “substance”and their attitudes against science, their logical thinking levels, Secondary Education Success Grades (OÖBP), their preference order for the department and ÖSS points was researched. The data of the research were gathered through Substance Concept Test, Science Attitude Scale and Logical Thinking Ability Test. Students displayed a misconception of 75.71% on 8th question where “the reason for bubbles that occured when the water was boiled” was asked in relation with solution. On this question students had difficulty in explaining the reason for bubbles when the water was boiled. On the 4th question where “the most important reason of solution of substances like salt, sugar” in relation with solution, it was detected that 42.85% of students had misconception. On the 9th question where “the reason of sea surface elevation with melting of icebergs as a reult of global warming” was asked, it was detected that 61.42% of the students had misconception. The students gave the answer “melting of icebergs floating in cold seas” for melting of icebergs as a result of global warming and elevation of seas.

The misconceptions set forth in this study related with substance have great importance in defining the subjects that are not understood or hardly understood and emphasized in teaching of the subject.

Printed Document

Mustafa Bayrakcı

Sakarya University

Researcher