Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION, cilt.21, ss.187-209, 2023 (SSCI)
Science fiction (SF) combines realistic and imaginary elements of science and technology
and develops students’ imagination, creativity, and interest in science. Therefore,
the aim of this study is to examine SF stories written by pre-service science
teachers (PSTs) in terms of various textual and science variables. The case study of
SF story writing aimed to develop a theoretical framework to analyze how narrative
elements, plot structure, agency, the nature of science content, characteristics of the
SF genre, and ethics in scientific research are included in the stories of a group of
Turkish PSTs. The participants of the study were 58 pre-service teachers enrolled
in the science education department at a public university in Turkey. Working in
groups, they wrote 13 different SF stories. The stories were analyzed with a rubric
including two parts: narrative and other story elements and the characteristics of the
SF genre. The results showed that the stories included fictional and realistic features
of science and technology, scientific concepts, and details about scientific realities.
The stories addressed the social and cultural embeddedness of scientific knowledge
and details about the scientific method. However, the originality is limited in many
stories as they had traces from popular movies, books, and TV series. The stories
did consider a range of ethical issues, including unauthorized experimentation and
manipulating scientific information for personal, political, and financial interests.
The current study could contribute to the literature about the use and assessment of
SF stories in science education.