WHAT CONCEPT MAPS TELL US ABOUT CHANGES IN PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE OF PROSPECTIVE CHEMISTRY TEACHERS PARTICIPATING IN AN INQUIRY- BASED WORKSHOP?

Abstract. In this study, we aimed to investigate if prospective chemistry teachers ’ participation in a professional development workshop changed their knowledge of inquiry-based teaching as a subject-specific instructional strategy. For this aim, as part of a project that intends to enhance science teachers ’ knowledge of inquiry pedagogy, we firstly developed an inquiry-based professional development workshop for supporting chemistry teachers in their effort to implement inquiry-based approach in their chemistry classrooms. Twenty pre-service chemistry teachers were selected as participants of the study. The concept maps which were constructed at the beginning and at the end of the workshop were used to expose the changes in the participants’ knowledge of inquiry-based teaching. The result of the Paired Samples T-Test indicated significant difference between the mean of pre- and post-concept map scores. Furthermore, when the structures of the concept maps were classified as linear, spokes, tree and network, it was determined that after the professional development workshop more improved knowledge about inquiry-based teaching were constructed in their minds. Based on all data from concept maps, there is support for assertion that the professional development workshop provided considerable improvement in participants ’ knowledge of inquiry-based teaching as a type of pedagogical content knowledge