ERIC Number: EJ1052350
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0263-5143
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Relationship between Pre-Service Science Teachers' Cognitive Styles and Their Cognitive Structures about Technology
Aydin, Fatih
Research in Science & Technological Education, v33 n1 p88-110 2015
Background: Today, for most of us, technology is a vital and inevitable part of our lives. Due to its widespread use, a great emphasis is being given to educating generations about technology. And, every individual has his/her own style of organizing and collecting information. Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to identify the relationship between pre-service science teachers' cognitive styles and their cognitive structures about technology. Sample: The study was conducted with the participation of first and third grade pre-service science teachers majoring in Science Education in the Faculty of Education at Abant Izzet Baysal University in the spring semester of 2012-2013. Design and methods: The study was designed as a case study and a qualitative research method was used. Students were administered two instruments: Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) and a Word Association Test (WAT). Results: Results clearly suggested that the first grade participants with a field-dependent cognitive style were better at associating concepts when compared to those with a field-independent cognitive style. And, participants with a field-dependent style, could form more connections between the technology-related concepts. A comparison of the findings on the field-dependent participants by their grade demonstrated that the first and third grade participants with a field-dependent cognitive style got similar scores in terms of the total number of words generated for each key concept. Conclusions: Considering that education is for individuals, it is impossible to ignore individual differences during the process. The most interesting finding of the present study is that field-dependent individuals have a higher cognitive structure, unlike that which has been asserted so far in the literature.
Descriptors: Preservice Teachers, Science Teachers, Cognitive Style, Science Education, Foreign Countries, Elementary School Teachers, Elementary School Science, Grade 1, Grade 3, Constructivism (Learning), Associative Learning, Tests, Concept Mapping, Technological Literacy, Case Studies, Qualitative Research
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Elementary Education; Grade 1; Primary Education; Early Childhood Education; Grade 3
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Turkey
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Group Embedded Figures Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A