Physics Pre-service Teachers’ Approaches to Scientific Investigations by Data Exploration
Thomas Schubatzky 1 * , Benjamin Bock 1, Claudia Haagen-Schützenhöfer 1
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1 University of Graz, AUSTRIA* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This article reports how physics pre-service teachers (PSTs) organize their investigations during an exploratory data analysis scenario, which we call scientific investigations by data exploration. In order to analyze the PSTs’ investigations, we developed a learning environment in which learners investigate aspects influencing the particulate matter concentration in an Austrian city. Audio documentation and written learner protocols were analyzed using qualitative content analyses, resulting in flowcharts describing the different types of investigations the PSTs conducted. In this analysis, we differentiate between investigations on a micro-level (a single investigation), and investigations on a macro-level. Findings show that the pre-service teachers follow three different approaches: some always start their investigations with a research question, some switch between exploratory and targeted investigations and a few conducted only exploratory investigations. In this article we provide exploratory insights into the strategies students use.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 16, Issue 11, November 2020, Article No: em1893

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/8536

Publication date: 08 Sep 2020

Article Views: 2205

Article Downloads: 1057

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