Pre-service Physics Teachers' Recognition of Apparatuses Used in Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism Experiments

Abstract

Although lab activities play an important role in physics teaching, many of these activities do not attain the expected objectives. Many reasons can be advanced for this, such as a lack of apparatus/equipment in schools, limits to the lab time allocated, teachers' lack of knowledge and skills about lab-oriented teaching methods or the teachers' lack of self-confidence having a negative effect on lab teaching. All these reasons increase the risk that lab activities will not achieve their objectives. This study was conducted to determine how well pre-service physics teachers recognized and understood the functions of various apparatuses and pieces of equipment used in mechanics and electricity and magnetism labs. The survey method was used to measure the pre-service physics teachers' levels of recognition (n=118). The Physics Lab Apparatuses Recognition Test (PLART), consisting of four stages for each item, was developed as a data collection tool. The results of the present study indicate that pre-service physics teachers did not recognize or understand the functions of the majority of apparatuses frequently used in mechanics and electricity and magnetism experiments.

Pre-service science teachers’ processes of establishing simple electric circuits

“…Pre-service science teachers experienced many difficulties in the establishment process of the simple electric circuit, especially with three resistors, and using ammeter and voltmeter properly. Like the Gülçiçek and Kanlı (2018) found about university students, participants did not know how to use some laboratory equipment exactly. For example, for many of them, it was the first time they used rheostat as a resistor in a circuit.…”