Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
15th International Congress on Social, Humanities, Administrative, and Educational Sciences, Ankara, Türkiye, 13 - 15 Şubat 2025, ss.122-139, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
It is essential for individuals to interpret their environment and comprehend the world they live in. However, individuals often struggle to understand scientific concepts, phenomena, or situations because the concepts in science are predominantly abstract. For learning to become permanent and for individuals to grasp abstract concepts, it is necessary to make these concepts comprehensible through suitable activities. Making abstract scientific concepts, phenomena, or situations permanent through effective methods and presenting them in a way that is understandable to the general public play a significant role in the didactic transposition process of science education. A review of the literature reveals that the use of science fiction sources in explaining contemporary and popular topics enhances students' scientific literacy and consequently influences their understanding of the nature of science, the relationship between science, technology, and society, as well as their scientific process skills. Therefore, adapting the concepts, phenomena, and situations in science to levels that the general public can understand underscores the importance of the didactic transposition theory. The theory of didactic transposition examines all the transformations that scientific content undergoes until it becomes teachable knowledge and is included among instructional objectives. This theory focuses on the interaction between different types of knowledge, such as scientific knowledge, knowledge to teach, learned knowledge, and assimilated knowledge. When analyzing the concepts within the topic of space exploration addressed in science fiction sources, the question arises of how this transformation should be carried out. This study aims to analyze the representation of space exploration in science fiction films within the framework of the theory of didactic transposition. The study utilizes document analysis, a qualitative research method frequently applied to the examination of textual data. The science fiction film The Martian was analyzed based on science concepts related to space exploration and topics within the disciplines of physics, chemistry, and biology. The Martian narrates the story of astronauts who are forced to abandon their mission on Mars due to a sandstorm, leaving one astronaut stranded. The film highlights the astronaut's use of intelligence and resilience to survive on Mars with limited resources, demonstrating how scientific concepts can be applied in daily life. Due to its appeal to a broad audience beyond a limited target group, the film serves as a prime example of external didactic transposition theory. Characteristics of this theory, such as simplifying scientific concepts and disseminating scientific knowledge to the public, were observed in the film. The findings indicate that the film contains concrete examples of categories, such as the simplification of scientific knowledge, the accuracy of scientific information, and gaps in scientific content. In conclusion, analyzed through the theory of didactic transposition, The Martian demonstrates how space exploration and scientific concepts from disciplines such as physics, chemistry, and botany can effectively convey to viewers. The film is recognized as a valuable resource for facilitating understanding of these topics and is recommended for educational purposes, particularly for students.
Keywords: Science Fiction Film, Theory of External Didactic Transposition, The Martian