Science Education Trends in Turkey: A Content Analysis from 2005 to 2014

Abstract

The present study intends to review the fundamental contributions and developments made
in science education research during the last decade. A series of content analyses of the articles published
by Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, Hacettepe University Journal of Education, Elementary
Education Online, and Education and Science Journal from 2005 to 2014 were conducted. A total of 363
research papers were analyzed in terms of features of authors, research types, topics and methods. It was
found that elementary science education played a valuable role on the published work. This result
presumably implies that elementary science education research became a comprehensive area by the
academic community. Another finding is that, most of the published articles were categorized as
quantitative in nature, conducting experimental or survey studies. The procedures of qualitative studies
were rarely presented in the journals. The research topics of constructivism, conceptual change, affective
factors and methods of teaching were received relatively more attention among science educators