Using an Animated Case Scenario Based on Constructivist 5E Model to Enhance Pre-Service Teachers' Awareness of Electrical Safety.

AbstractThe objective of this study is to get pre-service teachers to develop an awareness of first aid knowledge and skills related to electrical shocking and safety within a scenario based animation based on a Constructivist 5E model. The sample of the study was composed of 78 (46 girls and 32 boys) pre-service classroom teachers from two faculties of education at two Turkish Universities. For the purpose of this qualitative study, an open-ended "Electrical Safety Awareness Questionnaire" was used to assess the participants' acquisition, retention and awareness levels in the beginning, at the end and five weeks after the implementation of the intervention. A one-group pretest-posttest design was adopted to measure the outcomes. Interpretative analysis was used to analyze the data. Results showed that when the subject was electricity, using an animated case scenario based on a constructivist 5E model was effective in teaching first aid knowledge and helping pre-service teachers acquire and retain technical skills about the electric shock.Key WordAnimation, Constructivist 5E Model, Electrical Safety, First Aid, Pre-service Teachers.In recent years, more and more serious injuries have been reported at schools. Some of them were electrical-shock caused injures. Although computer simulations and web-based learning modules have become valuable tools for bridging gaps in students' understanding of electricity (Finkelstein et al. 2005; Sadaghiani, 2011), we usually avoid learning more about its nature and procedures for prevention due to our everyday life heavily depends on the use of electricity. Therefore, teachers who are usually assume a bystander role in electrical accidents in schools must know how to deal with possible health risks and be able to provide basic help to anyone who may need it. However, studies related to the teachers' acquisition and retention of first aid knowledge and skills generally resulted in poor outcomes in Turkey (Baser, Coban, Tasci, Sungur, & Bayat, 2007; Korkusuz, Tuzun, & Sarac, 2005).Our analysis of previous studies showed that no prior study to our knowledge specifically investigated the teachers' acquisition and retention of first aid cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills in potential electrical-shock-related injuries. Moreover, researches usually evaluate teachers' general first aid knowledge by using multiple-choice and true/false questions by face to face (Baser et al., 2007) and/ or by web-based distance education course (Celik, 2013). However, this assessment does not fully measure learning outcomes. Constructivist Theory emphasizes that learning be assessed and evaluated along a learning process taking place in constructivist learning contexts (Gay & Mazur, 1993). In ad- dition, learning should be authentic, and needs to simulate real life experiences (Huang, 2002).Constructivism is a theory of learning not an instructional method. The 5E Model of Instruction used in science curriculum is a constructivist model that uses five phases of instruction: engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration and evaluation. Participants' first aid knowledge for electric shocking can be evaluated and developed through a constructivist 5E Model. In the first phase of the 5E model (engagement), students are asked some questions or showed videos or animation related to real life to get them mentally engaged in the concept, process, or skill to be explored. Teacher also identifies the students' prior knowledge about the concept. In the explore phase, students actively identify and develop current concepts and explore their environment or manipulate materials. In next phase (explanation), guided by the teacher, learners explain what they understand after the explore phase. Through the elaboration phase, it is expected to get students to abandon their misconceptions and help them develop a deeper and broader understanding, acquire more information, and adequate skills through their learning experience. …