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Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 116 (2014) 152 – 157

5th World Conference on Educational Sciences - WCES 2013

Understanding of Basic Science Concepts:

Does Taking More Science Courses Matter?
Sibel Kayaa*
a
Kocaeli University, School of Education, Department of Elementary Education, 41380 Kocaeli, Turkey

Abstract

This study aimed to examine and compare pre-service elementary and science teachers’ understanding of basic science concepts.
A total of 353 fourth-year elementary and science education majors (272 female and 81 male), from a large public university in
northwestern Turkey, participated in the study. A Scientific Knowledge Test, which was compiled from the National Science
Foundation’s Survey of Public Attitudes Toward and Understanding of Science and Technology, was used as the data collection
instrument. Results showed that science education majors scored significantly higher on the Scientific Knowledge Test.
Participants from the two programs had similar views on astrology and human evolution. Approximately 89 percent of them rated
astrology as ‘scientific’ and only 24 percent endorsed human evolution. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to examine
their views on these two topics. Interview findings showed that pre-service elementary and science teachers have similar
misconceptions about astrology, evolution, and nature of science. It was concluded that although taking more science courses
provides better understanding of basic science concepts, there are still critical misconceptions to overcome and teacher education
programs need to adress these issues.
© 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Academic World Education and Research Center.
Keywords: Public understanding of science, basic science concepts, elementary science, pre-service teachers

1. Introduction

As the world has become more science and technology driven, it is crucial for citizens to become more
scientifically literate, in order to be competitive in the international arena (National Science Foundation, 2010). It is
also important for K-12 teachers to be well-equipped when providing quality science instruction in the 21st century
(National Science Teachers Association, 2011). Being scientifically literate requires not only a knowledge of
science, but also a knowledge of how science functions, evolves and how it relates to society (Lederman, 1992).
Scientifically literate people should be able to act in a scientific manner in everyday life, and should be able to think
critically about pseudoscience and non-science (Martin, 1994). With this notion, teachers, especially science
teachers, are expected to be informed about pseudoscience, such as astrology and intelligent design, when teaching
the general public.
Investigating teachers’ views on pseudoscience and evolution is important, because teachers have a large-scale
influence on society, and their beliefs influence their own instructional practices (Eve & Dunn, 1990; Trani, 2004).

* Corresponding Author Name. Tel.: +90-262-303-2454

E-mail address: sibel.kaya@kocaeli.edu.tr

1877-0428 © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Academic World Education and Research Center.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.184
 Sibel Kaya / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 116 (2014) 152 – 157 153

Therefore, it might be useful to examine their understanding of scientific concepts, as well as pseudoscientific
views. This study attempts to examine if increased science instruction makes any difference in pre-service teachers’
scientific knowledge, and their views on astrology and evolution.
There is a widespread acceptance of pseudoscience, such as the belief in astrology, ‘intelligent design’, and
alternative cures among the public (Losh & Nzekwe, 2011; Preece & Baxter, 2000). In the 2008 Survey of Science
and Technology: Public Attitudes and Understanding, 37% of Americans regarded astrology as ‘scientific’ or
‘somewhat scientific’. The percentage was lower among college graduates (22%). Fewer Americans see astrology as
‘scientific’ compared to previous years. Respondents who were more likely to perceive astrology as scientific, were
less likely to understand the concept of science and inquiry (NSF, 2010). Losh and Nzekwe (2011b) reported that
students, who reject pseudoscientific claims, are more often the ones who also follow scientific media (e.g.
newspapers, magazines) more frequently.
As popular as pseudoscience is, evolution has been deeply unpopular in most parts of the world. The negative
attitudes toward evolution, among science teachers, is a recurring problem in different countries (Curry, 2009;
Deniz, Donnelly, & Yilmaz, 2008; Hokayem & BouJaoude, 2008; Kim & Nehm, 2011; Kutschera, 2008; Peker,
Comert, & Kence, 2010). Few studies investigating elementary teachers’ views on evolution yielded similar results
(Losh & Nzekwe, 2011a; Rice & Kaya, 2012). Among the few studies with Turkish samples, Peker and colleagues
(2010) found that only 28% of the college students accepted evolution. The number is very similar to the Turkish
public’s view, which is 25% (Martin et al., 2006). In another study, Deniz and colleagues (2008) found the
acceptance of evolution levels to be ‘low’ among Turkish pre-service biology teachers. There are currently no
studies examining Turkish elementary teachers’ beliefs about evolution, let alone comparing them with those of
science teachers.
Among the reasons for rejecting evolution, religiosity (Evans, 2008; Eder et al., 2011; Hokayem & BouJaoude,
2008; Kim & Nehm, 2011) and lack of nature of science (NOS) knowledge (BouJaoudea et al., 2011; Lombrozo et
al., 2008; Trani, 2004) emerge as the influential factors. In terms of education, studies found a positive correlation
between the amount of formal education and the acceptance of evolution (Brumfield, 2005; Eder et al., 2011).
Therefore, it was hypothesized that science education majors would have higher rates of belief in evolution. The
present study aimed to examine the following questions:
1. Are there any differences between pre-service elementary and science teachers’ levels of scientific
knowledge?
2. Are there any differences between pre-service elementary and science teachers’ views on astrology and
evolution?

2. Method

2.1. Participants

The participants of this study were 353 fourth-year students, 202 of whom were enrolled in elementary
education, and 151 were enrolled in science education programs at a large public university in Western Turkey.
There were 272 females and 81 males, and the participants were at an average age of 22. After the administration of
the Scientific Knowledge Test, 35 of these participants (21 from elementary education and 14 from science
education programs) were selected on a voluntary basis and interviewed to elaborate on some of their answers, such
as the answers regarding astrology and the theory of evolution.
Pre-service elementary teachers at the current university had taken 5 science courses throughout their 4-year
program. These were: General Biology, General Chemistry, General Physics, Science Laboratory, and Science
Teaching Methods. The pre-service science teachers had completed over 100 credits of science courses, including
such courses as, Nature and History of Science, Genetics and Biotechnology, Astronomy and Evolution.
154 Sibel Kaya / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 116 (2014) 152 – 157

2.2. Data Collection and Analysis

Data was collected between 2009-2011. A 26-item Scientific Knowledge Test compiled from the National
Science Foundation’s (2010) Survey of Public Attitudes: Toward and Understanding of Science and Technology,
which is also given to a representative sample in the U.S. approximately every two years, was used as a data
collection instrument. The test included life, earth and physical science questions. Nine of these questions were
added to the survey in 2008. Test items were translated into Turkish and checked by two language specialists. The
test was administered to a group of 30 students, before administering to the larger study group, to ensure that each
item was well understood. Based on the feedback from the smaller group, minor changes were made in some of the
statements. The questions were in True/False, short answer, multiple choice and open-ended formats. The highest
possible score on the test was 27, with one of the open-ended items worth 2 points. The KR-20 reliability of the test
was found as 0.77. For each cohort, the test was administered by the author; the test administration time was
approximately 15-20 minutes.
For the purpose of the current study, the following items in the test were analyzed separately:
• Astrology is: (A) Scientific (B) Sort of scientific (C) Not at all scientific
• Human beings as we know them today developed from earlier species of animals.
For the second part of data collection, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Interviews were audio-taped
with participants’ consent and were transcribed afterwards. Each interview lasted between 8-10 minutes. Interview
questions were listed in the Results section.
All quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS-15. Descriptive statistics were computed for the Scientific
Knowledge Test and responses for the astrology and evolution items. Comparative analyses were conducted through
t-test and Chi-square test. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to receive detailed information on
pre-service teachers’ views of astrology and evolution. Descriptive codes identified through the question topic
revealed commonalities among responses (Bogdan & Biklen 2003). Responses were coded by two researchers and
the codes resulted in the emergence of specifically defined classifications.

3. Results
As seen in Table 1, science education students received significantly higher scores (M=22.00) than the
elementary education students (M=18.66) on the Scientific Knowledge Test (p < 0.001). Among elementary
education majors, correct responses were below 50% on questions related to lasers, antibiotics, atmospheric
pressure, and experimentation. For science education students, correct responses to all Scientific Knowledge Test
items were above 50%.
Table1. T-test of the Scientific Knowledge Test Scores by Major

Major n Mean SD Df t
Elem. Ed. 202 18.66 2.77 351 11.83**
Sci. Ed. 151 22.00 2.41
** p < 0.001

Student responses for astrology and evolution were tallied as ‘1’ and ‘0’. Participants who rated astrology as ‘not
at all scientific’ received 1, while others received 0. For evolution questions, respondents, who marked the statement
‘Human beings as we know them today developed from earlier species of animals’ as ‘true’, received 1 and the
others received 0. Eighty eight percent of elementary and 91% of science pre-service teachers rated astrology as
either scientific or somewhat scientific. These numbers are overwhelmingly high compared to 22 percent of US
college graduates, who perceived astrology as being scientific (NSF, 2010). Seventy eight percent of elementary
education and 70 percent of science education students did not accept the statement that humans descended from
earlier animals. According to the crosstabulation Chi-square test, these percentages were not significantly different
(p = 0.051). In other words, the views on astrology and evolution were similar among science education and
elementary education majors.
 Sibel Kaya / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 116 (2014) 152 – 157 155

In order to further examine participants’ responses to the astrology and evolution items, 35 participants
(aprroximately 10% of the participants) were interviewed on voluntary basis. Of these 35 participants, 21 were from
elementary education and 14 were from science education program.
Following questions were asked during the interview sessions:

1. Is astrology scientific? Why?

2. What is your position regarding evolution?
3. Have you had any instruction on evolution in school?Do you support teaching of evolution in schools?

On astrology, all but two students perceived astrology to be scientific or somewhat scientific, Some excerpts
include:
“I don’t really believe in astrology but I think it is somewhat scientific because it uses scientific terminology”.
“There is a lot of research about it, it is not proven yet but moon, stars, and planets affect peoples’ mood and
behavior”.
The two students, who rated astrology as ‘not scientific at all’, mentioned that they attended a workshop on
astronomy:
“I think most people confuse astrology with astronomy. The difference should be emphasised at schools and
people should be educated. Our professors at the astronomy workshop clearly explained the difference and told
us that there is no way astrology can be scientific”.
When asked about their position regarding evolution, almost all students mentioned they reject human evolution
due to their religious beliefs. Some participants stated that they do not have adequate knowledge on the topic. The
lack of knowledge on evolution and nature of science (NOS) was apparent in participants’ answers, especially those
of elementary education majors, such as:
“Theory of evolution has not been proven 100 percent yet, there are a lot of gaps in the theory”.
“There are not enough fossils to support the theory (evolution). There aren’t any transitional fossils, for
example”.
None of the 35 participants who were interviewed received any instruction on human evolution throughout their
K-12 and undergraduate education. They mentioned that their teachers always skipped that topic in school or asked
them to study themselves. Science education majors received the Evolution course during their fourth year in the
program. However, students indicated they never discussed topics on human evolution in this course. Most science
education majors indicated that they feel ill-prepared to teach evolution and they wished to have learned more on the
topic.
All but two of the participants supported the teaching of evolution in schools; however, they were wary of it, such
as:
“Teachers should not be imposing anything on students, they should be objective about evolution. Rather than
focusing on human evolution, they should be emphasising other aspects of evolution”.

4. Conclusions
This study examined the differences between elementary and science education seniors in their scientific
knowledge, and their views on pseudoscience and evolution. Given the amount of science courses taken, it was
expected that science education majors would have higher scientific knowledge scores, lower rates of belief in
pseudoscience and higher rates of belief in evolution. Results showed that science education majors scored
significantly higher than elementary education majors on the scientific knowledge test. However, there was no
difference between majors in terms of their responses to the items related to astrology and evolution.
As highlighted by several researchers (e.g. Kallery, 2011; Losh & Nzekwe, 2011b; Martin, 1994),
pseudoscientific beliefs have become an epidemic, which is too serious to be neglected by the scientific community.
It is known that teachers carry their beliefs into their classrooms, and knowing these teachers could pass on their
faulty beliefs about science and pseudoscience, is concerning - especially as young children are easily affected by
156 Sibel Kaya / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 116 (2014) 152 – 157

their teachers’ views (Kallery, 2011). It was clear from the interviews that prospective teachers are probably
confusing astrology with astronomy, or consider astrology as a branch of astronomy. Through critically evaluating
their students’ views, science educators can help understand these two terms; and also, what ‘scientific’ means and
how ‘scientific method’ works.
Similar to a previous study (BouJaoudea et al., 2011), prospective teachers in this study, too, had conflicting
views on evolution, religious beliefs, and teaching evolution in classrooms. Most of them stated that they reject
evolution because of their religious beliefs and admitted (or indicated) that they have inedaquate knowledge on the
topic. Teacher education programs often fail to educate science teachers on the topic of evolution. Therefore, they
hold many misconceptions regarding evolution (Smith, 2010). Evans (2008) stated that people are often confused,
rather than resistant, about evolution, due to their religious beliefs; such was the case in this study. In fact, several
pre-service teachers in the current study, stated that they are open to learning more about evolution in their
classrooms. Interview findings showed that prospective teachers have more positive attitudes toward the aspects of
evolution, which does not include humans, but includes rather plants and other animals. However, it seems that even
these aspects are not being taught in Turkish K-12 public schools.
While investigating the underlying factors of pre-service teachers’ views on astrology and evolution, the current
study has found that prospective teachers have inadequate knowledge of NOS. Many believed that theories should
be ‘proven’ in order to be valid and widely acceptable, and that the theory of evolution lacks evidence,
experimentation and ‘has not been proven’ yet. Similar findings have been reported by BouJaoudea and colleagues
(2011), even for professors of science. These findings suggest that teacher education programs should focus on
explicit teaching of NOS in their science courses and provide opportunities to experience and evaluate ‘real’
science.

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