Examining Pre-Service Social Studies Teachers’ Cognitive Structures and Misconceptions About Environmental Problems Through the Word Association Test
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Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the cognitive structures and misconceptions of pre-service social studies teachers about environmental problems. The study was a descriptive study based on survey model. Convenience sampling, one of the purposive sampling techniques, was used in sample selection and 143 pre-service teachers studying at Fırat University Faculty of Education participated in the study. The word association test prepared by the researcherss was used as the data collection tool. The word association test is one of the alternative assessment methods devised to expose individuals’ cognitive frameworks and misconceptions on a conceptual level. Descriptive analysis technique was used in data analysis. The data collected through the word association test were examined and the number of repetitions of the responses associated with each key concept was identified. The responses associated with the key concepts were presented in the form of concept networks based on cut-off points. The results indicated that the participants demonstrated adequate cognitive frameworks concerning air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, and deforestation; however, they had insufficient knowledge regarding the key concept of erosion.
