Determination of Preservice Science Teachers’ Approaches Related with Physics and Physics Problem via Metaphors

Abstract

Science teachers play important role in the formation of students' approaches related to science / physics. The way in which preservice science teachers prepare to practice one's profession, approach to some concepts, events or phenomena can be determined effectively through metaphors. This research's aim is to determine the approaches of preservice science teachers about physics that they have difficulty in understanding and physics problem solving that they have difficulty in solving through metaphors. The participants of the research are comprised of 139 students who are studying in different classes in the science teacher education program at the Faculty of Education at a university in the Eastern Black Sea Region. In the pattern of phenomenology, the data were collected through a questionnaire and have been subjected to content analysis by NVivo 11 program. Generated metaphors are generally grouped under the headings nature, benefits and needs. It has been found that the codes often emphasize the link between physics and daily life, difficulty, combining different kinds of knowledge and skills, and relation with logic. Some of the results reached are those: Even though preservice teachers associate physics and physics problems with life, they remember the solution process of routine physics problems when they face with a physics problem. They have difficulties in understanding physics and solving physics problems, and think that solving physics problems probably depends on combining information in a related way. Related to these results, suggestions such as giving different types of problems in physics lessons, gamification the physics teaching, adding a lesson about physics problem solving strategies have been offered.