Turkish Science Teachers' Use of Educational Research and Resources

Research results demonstrate that there is a gap between educational research and practice. Turkey is not an exception in this case. This study aims to examine to what extent and how educational research and resources are being followed, understood and used in classroom practices by science teachers in Turkey. A sample of 968 science teachers working at junior high schools in Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey was surveyed. The data were collected through a questionnaire consisting of multiple-choice and open-ended questions. The results indicate that the most common sources of information used by teachers to follow educational research are "internet"; "radio", "television" and "newspapers"; " scientific magazine journals"; and "educational books" respectively. In contrast, the least followed sources of information used by teachers are "educational symposiums, conferences and workshops", and "educational scientific journals" and "dissertations". 18.7% of science teachers stated that they could understand scientific educational research. Science teachers' level of applying the educational research results into practice was found as 5.7 %.