Investigation of the Effects of Out-of-School Learning Environments on the Attitudes and Opinions of Prospective Classroom Teachers about Renewable Energy Sources

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of energy resources activities on attitudes and views of prospective classroom teachers about renewable energy resources within the context of out-of school learning environments. In the study, quasi-experimental design without pre-test post-test control group was used. The research was conducted in the spring term of 2017-2018 academic year with an in-depth study plan for a total of 14 weeks with 12 prospective classroom teachers within the scope of Community Service Practices course. Out-of-school learning activities are held in Solar Park House and Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant Information Center which is Turkey's first nuclear power plant, located in Mersin. In the research, Attitude Scale for Renewable Energy Resources developed by Güneş, Alat and Gözüm (2013) was used. Also, the interview form, which consists of open-ended questions developed by the researcher and the diaries kept by the prospective teachers within the scope of the course were examined by qualitative analysis method. As a result of the research, it was found that there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of the prospective classroom teachers regarding the renewable energy resources in favor of the post-test scores.