Interdisciplinary Approach-Based Energy Education

Abstract

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the effect of interdisciplinary approach-based energy instruction on pre-service science teachers’ academic achievement and conceptual understanding regarding the concept of energy. To this end, the current study was designed as a quasi-experimental study in line with the pretest-posttest control group design. The activities related to the concept of energy were conducted by using the interdisciplinary approach and the same activities were conducted by using the methods and techniques based on the existing approaches. A total of 66 pre-service science teachers participated in the study lasting for 10 weeks. In the analysis of the data, ANOVA/Post Hoc Test was used. As a result of the study, it was found that the use of the interdisciplinary instructional approach in teaching the concept of energy increased the pre-service teachers’ academic achievement and conceptual understanding more than the traditional approaches. Thus, it can be suggested that during the instruction of the energy concept, the features of this concept should be taught in a certain developmental order and the interdisciplinary approach should be used in the activities conducted to teach this concept.