The Investigation of the Pre-service Science Teachers’ Abilities to Read, Interpret and Draw Graphs

Abstract

In this study, it has been aimed to examine pre-service science teachers’ abilities to read, interpret and draw graphs related to the subjects covered in the general physics-I course. In this research, the descriptive-survey model was used. The study consisted of 244 pre-service science teachers who were studying at the first, second, third and fourth grades in the Science Education Department of Primary Education at the Faculty of Education at a state university. For data collection, a test consisting of two sections, namely multiple-choice and open-ended questions, was conducted. At the end of this research, it was concluded that the pre-service science teachers experienced difficulties in drawing graphs, specifying the starting point of the graphs, scaling the lines, matching the values as well as understanding and interpreting the graphs. In addition, it was found out that the pre-service teachers did not write the units of the concepts, which were supposed to determine the axes correctly in the graphics they drew, in the axes in general.