Primary school teachers’ attitudes towards experimentation in physics teaching

Ioannis Vlachos 1, Georgios Stylos 1 * , Konstantinos T. Kotsis 1
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1 Department of Primary Education, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, GREECE
* Corresponding Author
EUR J SCI MATH ED, Volume 12, Issue 1, pp. 60-70. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/13830
Published Online: 25 October 2023, Published: 01 January 2024
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ABSTRACT

The physics’ subject aims to provide the student with a broad understanding of the physical phenomena that occur around them every day and introduce them to the scientific search. The use of experiments in the teaching of the subject contributes to the understanding of these phenomena, the development of skills and critical thinking and has many benefits for the emotional, social and psychomotor fields of the students. In total, 178 primary school teachers who have taught physics from West Greece, were enrolled in our study. All participants completed a questionnaire electronically, based on teachers’ attitudes towards physics teaching on specific factors. No differences were found between genders, teachers’ attitudes towards the use of physics experiments are not affected by their years of service with minor exceptions, while teachers develop more positive attitudes towards experiments over the years of teaching physics. Moreover, teachers’ field of study plays an important role on their attitudes towards experiments, there are no differences to the age group of teachers and their attitude towards the use of experiments in the teaching of physics with an exception. Though further research is needed, our questionnaire helps to identify factors that affect teachers’ attitudes towards performing experiments in physics teaching.
Keywords: physics, experiment, teaching, attitudes, primary school teachers

CITATION

Vlachos, I., Stylos, G., & Kotsis, K. T. (2024). Primary school teachers’ attitudes towards experimentation in physics teaching. European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 12(1), 60-70. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/13830

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