The main purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the cooperative learning based on conceptual change conditions and traditionally designed science instruction on 7th grade students&rsquo / understanding of chemical and physical changes and classification of matter concepts and attitudes toward science as a school subject.
In this study 102 seventh grade students from four classes of a Science Course instructed by the two teachers from ODTÜ / G.V. Ö / zel ilkö / gretim Okulu took part. One of the classes of each teacher was randomly assigned as experimental group, which were instructed with cooperative learning based on conceptual change conditions and the other classes were assigned as control group, which were instructed traditionally. This study was conducted during the 2004-2005 fall semester over a period of four weeks.
In this study, to examine the effect of the treatment on dependent variables / science achievement related to chemical and physical changes and classification of matter concepts measured with Classification and Changes of Matter Concepts Test, and science attitude scores measured with Attitude Scale Toward Science as a school subject. Science Process Skills Test was used at the beginning of the study to determine students&rsquo / science process skills.
ANCOVA and ANOVA were used testing the hypotheses of the study. The results showed that the cooperative learning based on conceptual change conditions group had a significantly higher scores with respect to achievement related to chemical and physical changes and classification of matter concepts than the traditionally designed science instruction group. However, there is no significant difference between the mean scores of cooperative learning based on conceptual change conditions group and traditionally designed science instruction group with respect to attitudes toward science as a school subject. Science process skills were a strong predictor for the achievement related to chemical and physical changes and classification of matter concepts.
It may be useful to use the results of this study and instruments and strategies developed for this study for classroom teachers in order to help students to reduce or eliminate their misconceptions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:METU/oai:etd.lib.metu.edu.tr:http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/2/12607121/index.pdf |
| Date | 01 March 2006 |
| Creators | (ozdemir) Erdemir, Arzu |
| Contributors | Geban, Omer |
| Publisher | METU |
| Source Sets | Middle East Technical Univ. |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Ph.D. Thesis |
| Format | text/pdf |
| Rights | To liberate the content for METU campus |
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