Journal of Baltic Science Education

6-19

Authors: Yasemin Özdem, Pınar Çavaş, Bülent Çavaş, Jale Çakıroğlu, Hamide Ertepınar

Scientific literacy has become the major goal of science education in many countries as well as Turkey. In line with this goal, the purpose of this study is to investigate the scientific literacy level of elementary students in Turkey. In this study, the scientific literacy level of students is investigated through “Scientific Literacy Test” adapted by the researchers. The test was administered to 946 elementary students enrolled in 6th, 7th and 8th grades in nine cities during the academic year of 2008-2009. The results of the study showed that 8th grade students significantly differ in their scientific literacy level compared to 6th and 7th grade students. However, eight graders have also some difficulties on some items related to the nature of science.

35-49

Authors: Joanne Grima, Walter Leal Filho, Paul Pace

The learner selects and transforms information, constructs hypotheses and makes decisions, relying on a cognitive structure that provides meaning and organization to experiences and allows the individual to go beyond. Quantitative data regarding concepts formed about global warming and ozone depletion was obtained through a questionnaire administered to 280 Maltese post-secondary students, who had already attended Environmental Science lessons. In depth group interviews were performed with four focus groups to elucidate underlying reasoning. Besides the presence of lacunae in their knowledge, the study revealed that students formulated their own logical, but sometimes incorrect, frameworks through which they could explain the issues. Concept maps elicited from the data show how students erroneously linked global warming to ozone depletion and stratospheric ozone to tropospheric ozone. Recommendations are made on how learners can think how an expert of that particular knowledge domain would think in that particular circumstance.

61-71

Authors: Serap Kaya Şengören

In this study, it was tried to explore mental models of light utilized by the Turkish students for the explanations of single-slit diffraction and double-slit interference of light. This research has been carried on the group of 294 students made up of 175 introductory and 119 advanced level students studying in the departments of engineering, physics and physics teachers at a Turkish University. Open - ended questions pertaining drawings and explanations were used as data collection tool. As a result of quantitative and qualitative analysis, three mental models which were named as wave, ray and particle being used by the students while explaining these subjects, were described. Serious difficulties were observed towards the usage of these models for the both levels of the student groups and some differences were indicated between the introductory and advanced level university students in terms of usage of these models.