مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - A Study on Science-Society Based Educational Short Films: Example of Science Education

Abstract :

The aim of the study is to analyze the educational short films prepared by teacher candidates and to assess the opinions regarding their use in the education process. The study is in the survey method and has been conducted with 51 teacher candidates studying their 2nd year at a state university in Istanbul during 2014-1015 spring term. The study has been conducted within the “Sciences and Society” course which is operated as a selective course by the researcher. The teacher candidates participating in the study have been selected from the group taking this course with the method of random sampling. The study included 10 different educational short films prepared within the context of science and society. Educational short films and open-ended questions were used as data tools of the study. Data tools analyzed with a rubric and content analysis method. The results of the study revealed that scientific concepts were used correctly, the relation between science and society was effectively established, the films had a comprehensible language and were mostly suitable for the grade level. Besides these results teacher candidates consider that they can use films effectively during teaching process and also they consider using films at the beginning of the lesson. Teacher candidates explained the contributions of educational short films as “facilitation of the educational process, grabbing attention, establishing relations with the daily life, enlarging imagination, being permanent, offering opportunities for different types of intelligence, teaching in an enjoyable way and enabling the questioning skills”. The teacher candidates also think that educational short films might have negative aspects such as “causing wrong learning and substituting the learning”.