Perspectives of Science Teacher Candidates Regarding Scientific Creativity, And Their Ability to Reflect Scientific Creativity in Their Education

Abstract

This study was performed with the participation of 20 teacher candidates from the science education department of a university in Turkey. During the study, teacher candidates were asked two questions, both of which were open-ended. The validity of these questions developed specifically for this study was evaluated by two expert researchers. The aim of this study was to determine how science teacher candidates define scientific creativity, and how they are able to reflect scientific creativity on their own education. The study results indicated that the science teacher candidates lacked an in-depth understanding or interpretation of this concept, and that their ability to reflect scientific creativity in their own education was limited.

Key Words: Teacher candidates, science education, scientific creativity, originality