Why Science Teachers Can't Teach in Informal Learning Environments?

Teaching science in informal learning environments (ILE) are of great importance for the science course. In this learning process, students behave like scientists and develop their high-level thinking skills. To establish a connection between daily life and natural sciences is another way to add ILE into formal education. In the literature, many studies declared a few teachers teach science in ILE. The purpose of this study, to determine the difficulties or problems faced by science teachers in the process of science teaching using ILE and what kind of solutions teachers offer about these problems or difficulties. The research was carried out by using descriptive research. The study group consists of 144 science teachers, selecting by easily accessible sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods. Ten open-ended questions were asked to the participants. The content analysis method was used to analyze the data. As a result, teachers had problems/difficulties in managerial-based, student-based, parent-based, ILE-based, school location-based, economy-based, curriculum-based and teacher skill and knowledge-based.