The impact of a self-directed class participation program on the self-directedness of freshmen in the department of science education

This study aimed to investigate the changes in the self-directedness of freshmen in the department of science education through a self-directed learning participation program. It also aimed to investigate the meaning they gained from this program. In this, study 24 freshmen participated in. The results are as follows: First, the results of the self-directedness test showed statistically significant changes at the p < .01 level. The sub-items of attachment to learning, openness to challenges, self-confidence as a learner, curiosity about learning, acceptance of responsibility for learning, and self-understanding all showed statistically significant changes at the p < .05 level. Second, when examining the preparatory process for freshmen, efforts were made to recognize the class objectives and convey them to students to clarify, but no efforts were made to induce motivation to learn when approaching learning problems. And there was a lack of consideration of what should be taken into account for effective learning in the teaching-learning process. In addition, there was a lack of understanding of the reasons and methods for organizing and evaluating classes. Third, freshmen had positive thoughts about the self-directed class participation program, and they thought that it should be actively utilized in teacher training courses, and that allowing secondary school students to prepare and apply classes on their own would have a positive effect on learning. In conclusion, it is necessary to develop and apply such self-directed class participation programs for future science teachers, and should be applied in secondary school as well.