Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
TARIH KULTUR VE SANAT ARASTIRMALARI DERGISI-JOURNAL OF HISTORY CULTURE AND ART RESEARCH, sa.3, ss.566-592, 2018 (ESCI)
The purpose of this research is to explore the epistemological beliefs of middle school students by means of draw-write-tell technique which is formed from three phases. Designed as a qualitative phenomenological research, this study employs 96 students (51 female, 45 male) selected by convenience sampling technique. The participants were attending various grade levels of a state secondary school in Yunusemre district of Manisa province in 2017-2018 academic year. In the first stage of the research, students were asked to pencil draw five things reminding or representing them the word "knowledge". In the second stage, each student was asked to select one drawing amongst five, which best meets the concept of "knowledge" according to her/his personal opinion and which is identified with "knowledge" the most and write down why she/he chose this one. In the third stage, a total of 12 different focus group interviews were conducted with 53 volunteering students amongst the ones having participated in the earlier research stages. The data obtained from the first stage was thematically analyzed, while the remaining data was analyzed phenomenologically. Research findings show that most of the students see the authorities and the objects out there as sources of knowledge. In the processes of knowledge acquisition, they also perceive themselves as passive recipients of any given knowledge. It is observed that it is possible to measure the epistemological beliefs of the students for the source of knowledge through the drawings and the accuracy and justification of knowledge through the written materials and focus group interviews. Research results show that draw-write-tell technique is a new approach useful and practical in measuring the epistemological beliefs of middle school students.