Pre-service Science Teachers’ Knowledge, Practices and Behaviors about Organ Donation and Transplantation

Abstract

There is a clear need that every individual in a society should be well informed about the
organ donation and transplantation issue to contribute to the efforts to increase low donation
rates. Science teachers have a crucial role in increasing young pupils’ knowledge and
awareness of organ donation by providing them with the necessary scientific information.
Therefore, the present research examined the knowledge, practices and behaviors of
pre-service science teachers regarding organ donation and transplantation, to help them to be
better prepared science teachers. A total of 265 participants from two universities in Turkey
responded to an organ donation and transplantation questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, t-test
and chi-square test were used in the data analyses. While 92.8% of participants supported
organ donation regardless of their year of study, only 1.1% declared that they were registered
to be a donor. Pre-service science teachers in this study showed generally a low level of
knowledge regardless of their year of study and gender. Despite having a low level of
knowledge regarding organ donation and transplantation, they were generally willing to
donate their own organs. These findings raised questions about the extent to which
pre-service science teachers have the necessary knowledge, practices and behaviors to
support student learning when they become real teachers. The implications of these findings
for science teacher education in Turkey was also addressed.