Pre-Service Biology Teachers' Perceptions of the Concepts of 'System' and 'Biological System'

Taşdelen Ö., Güven T.

JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL EDUCATION, cilt.57, sa.3, ss.495-516, 2023 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 57 Sayı: 3
  • Basım Tarihi: 2023
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/00219266.2021.1933129
  • Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL EDUCATION
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), BIOSIS, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Greenfile
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.495-516
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: System, biological system, systems thinking, pre-service teacher, biology education, perception
  • Gazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study investigated how pre-service biology teachers perceived the concepts of 'system' - as the basic component of the systems thinking approach - and 'biological system' specific to biology. The most important characteristics of a system appear as elements, interactions, interconnections, hierarchy, purpose and forming a whole. The data of the study were collected from students who were studying at the Faculty of Education of a state university in Ankara. The study employed the basic qualitative research approach. A questionnaire consisting of open-ended questions and interviews was utilised to collect the data. The sample consisted of 150 pre-service teachers for the questionnaire and 15 pre-service teachers for the interviews. The collected data were subjected to thematic analysis. It was determined that the pre-service teachers had a general perception of a 'system' and a 'biological system', but this perception was not as strong as a perception that they could apply in their own educational processes. Systems thinking approach and system concept are critical not only for pre-service biology teachers but also for all other fields. It is considered that it is necessary to positively contribute to the perception of pre-service teachers who are the teachers of the future towards these concepts.