Pre-service Science Teachers' Understanding of One-Dimensional Motion Graphs in the Kinematic Context

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine pre-service science teachers' understanding of graphs in kinematic context. This study focuses on one-dimensional motion graphs. The participants in this study are 115 pre-service science teachers. The data of the study was gathered with an open-ended questionnaire. The case study approach was used in this study. The qualitative data is analysed using thematic content analysis. The results of this study reveal that more than half of the participants cannot adequately understand the one-dimensional motion graphs. These findings suggest that pre-service science teachers' instructors should be aware of their students' difficulties in understanding of kinematic graphs. Furthermore, teaching modules which will promote the pre-service science teachers' understanding of kinematic graphs are designed and implemented. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.