Pre-service Teachers' Opinions About the Science Festival Organized within the Scope of Community Service Applications

The Community Service Applications (CSA) course was introduced for the first time in the Faculty of Education in Turkey during the 2006-2007 academic year. This course was added to the new teacher training program by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), alongside theoretical courses. The purpose of including this course in the education faculty program was to enhance teacher candidates' awareness and sensitivity to social issues since teaching is considered to be one of the socially responsible professions.The content of the CSA course includes concepts of society, community service practices, and social responsibility; social responsibility projects in terms of social and cultural values; identifying current social problems; preparing projects for the solution of identified social problems; voluntary participation in social responsibility projects individually and in groups; participating in social responsibility projects in various institutions and organizations; attending scientific events such as panels, conferences, congresses, symposiums as audience members, speakers, or organizers; and evaluating the outcomes of social responsibility projects (Council of Higher Education [YÖK], 2018). In this study, during the spring semester of the 2022-2023 academic year, prospective science teachers who took the CSA course aimed to transform their "Science Street Activities" projects into a science fair outside the classroom. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the opinions of prospective science teachers who participated in the Science Street activities and the science fair during the spring semester of the 2022-2023 academic year in the CSA course. The following research questions were investigated in line with the objectives of the study.1-What are the opinions of teacher candidates regarding the "Fun Science Street" (science fair) activity? 2-What are the opinions of teacher candidates regarding the contribution of the science fair activity to their own development? 3-What are the opinions of teacher ...