THE EFFECT OF UNIVERSITY PROCESS IN IMPROVING THE MISCONCEPTIONS OF PRE-SERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS ABOUT MOTION

Abstract

In this paper, the effects of university experiences in improving the misconceptions of pre-service science teachers about motion (displacement, distance, average velocity and speed) they brought from secondary education were investigated. This descriptive study was conducted in Ahi Evran University, Faculty of Education between 2003-2007 academic years. Total 52 students studying in science education department took part in the study. In the data collection, 12 open-ended questions were asked to pre-service science teachers both in the 1st and 4th years. Frequency tables and percentages were used for analyzing and presenting the data. The paper concludes by arguing that university process could not remove the misconceptions of pre-service science teachers regarding the definitions and quantities of displacement, distance, average velocity, speed, and operational questions.