HELPING PRE-SERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS TO UNDERSTAND ATOMISM THROUGH OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIMENTS

Abstract

Current atom concept teachings haven’t reached required levels from the points of both teaching methods and learning attainments. With this purpose in this research atom concept is conveyed to the classroom milieu through observations and experiments related to the atom concept during historical development process starting with the masterpiece of, the carrier of the atom thoughts of Antiquity to our age, Roman philosopher Lucretius, namely De Rerum Natura. The study has conducted thoughts regarding the atom in ancient and subsequent history under six headings teaching modules that would span over 11 weeks. The participants in the study were 73 pre-service science teachers. The two-tier multiple-choice diagnostic test was developed. In the analysis of the results of the test, after test hypotheses were proved, the single-factor ANOVA was employed for related samples, while frequency analysis was used for the content of the views of the participants and percentages were calculated to observe the change in alternative conceptions. Key words: concept of the atom in antiquity, experiments and observations, Titus Lucretius Carus, Two-tier Multiple-Choice Diagnostic test.