DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY SKILLS OF SCIENCE TEACHING THROUGH ARGUMENT-FOCUSED VIRTUAL LABORATORY APPLICATIONS

Abstract

This research designed within the scope of a TUBITAK 4005 project aimed to give science teachers training on argumentation-based learning, to provide them with scientific inquiry experience, to ensure that they gain skills to develop argumentation-based experimental learning methods. Throughout the research, 100 science teachers were given a four-day (28 hours in total) training program in virtual labs that would enable them to make scientific inquiries through argumentation-based experimental activities developed in accordance with the science curriculum. The “Opinion Scale for the Virtual Lab” and the “Principles of Scientific Inquiry- Teacher” were applied to the participants as a pre-test and post-test. Following the implementation phase, the “Assessing Argumentation-based Science Learning Activities- Scale” was applied to the participating students and teachers. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with randomly selected 15 teachers and 15 students. When all the obtained data were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively, a statistically moderate effect was determined on the teachers' post-test scores from the “Opinion Scale for the Virtual Lab” and the “Principles of Scientific Inquiry- Teacher.” Also, the participating students and teachers mostly expressed positive views in the “Assessing Argumentation-based Science Learning Activities- Scale” applied after the implementation phase. Keywords: argumentation-based experimental learning methods, mixed-method, scientific inquiry, semi-structured interviews, virtual laboratory.