Investigation of Scientific Literacy of Primary and Secondary School Teachers with Focus Group Interviews

In this study, it is aimed to investigate the scientific literacy of the teachers who play an active role in shaping the Turkish society and in the training of the individuals. For this purpose, focus group interviews were conducted with the teachers who participated in the study. Two focus group interviews were conducted with 6 and 4 individuals respectively. The group members were composed of teachers working in various fields (science, mathematics, English, Turkish, music and arts) in elementary and junior high school and maximum diversity sampling was done. The interviews started with brief introductions of the participants. The data were collected by voice recording method. Teachers were given necessary explanations and asked for their consent. The interviews lasted 60 and 97 minutes. The interviews were based on 5 questions. In the study, each question was formed to cover a theme. The themes were the needs of being scientifically literate, the necessities of being scientifically literate, the tasks of institutions and organizations in the case of scientific literacy, the perspective of the teachers on academic studies and the evaluation of the teachers own scientific literacy. The validity of this study was examined based on evidence-based validity. As a result of the focus group interviews, it was determined that the teachers considered the concept of "scientific literacy" important and useful. It was observed that many teachers, even if at a minimum level, were interested in academic studies, but their interest faded away due to the fact that it was not supported by the authorities