Prospective Teachers' Perceptions of “Data Literacy”
Prospective Teachers' Perceptions of “Data Literacy”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19280255Keywords:
Virtue-value-action framework, values education, life skills textbook, life skills teaching programmeAbstract
In the information age, as the amount of data increases, the concept of data literacy, defined as the ability to read, understand, and use data, has come to the fore. It has become important to increase individuals' abilities to read, understand, evaluate, and use data in different forms. Today, it is important to conduct research to define data literacy competencies and develop initiatives to support them. This research was conducted to reveal the metaphors that teacher candidates studying in the Social Studies and Mathematics teaching departments have regarding the concept of ‘data literacy. A metaphor is the transfer of a concept, phenomenon, or event by comparing it to another concept, phenomenon, or event. Within the framework of qualitative research, phenomenological design was used in the study, and purposive sampling, a method suitable for qualitative research, was employed. The study group consisted of 163 teacher candidates studying in the Social Studies and Mathematics teacher training departments at Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University Faculty of Education during the spring semester of the 2024-2025 academic year. The research data were obtained by having teacher candidates complete the form ‘Data literacy is ... because ...’. These data were analyzed using content analysis techniques. According to the research findings, Social Studies teacher candidates produced a total of 69 valid metaphors related to the concept of ‘data literacy’, while Mathematics teacher candidates produced 48. These metaphors were examined in terms of their qualities and compared with the conceptual categories of the Ministry of National Education (MEB). The research revealed that both Social Studies and Mathematics teacher candidates did not sufficiently grasp some critical aspects of data literacy and had conceptual gaps. Therefore, it was understood that teacher candidates did not fully achieve the comprehensive data literacy framework envisaged by the Ministry of National Education. For this reason, it is recommended that data literacy courses be added to teacher training programs.
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