Research Information System
Thesis Type: Doctorate
Institution Of The Thesis: Gazi University, Turkey
Approval Date: 2016
Thesis Language: Turkish
Student: Semra Demirçalı
Supervisor: MAHMUT SELVİ
Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection
Abstract:The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of model based science teaching on academic achievements, science process skills and devolopment of mental models of the students for the 7th grade science and technology course, in the unit of The Solar System and Beyond: The Puzzle of Space. In the study, quasi-experimental research method is used. The study group of this study is composed of the seventh grade students attending a secondary school in the 2013-2014 school years. Achievement Test, Science Process Skills Scale, Mental Models Assestment Scale were administrated to the seventh grade students at this school. Based on the preliminary test score results obtained from the tests and scales, no significant difference was found among the groups involved. One of these groups was designated as the experimental group and the other group as the control group. Treatment was carried out over a period of 9 weeks. During the study, the experimental group received model based science teaching while the control group received regular science teaching depending on the Science and Technology course book. Before and after the experimental procedure; assessment tools, which reliability and validity analysis had done, prepared for the evaluation of the academic achievements, scientific process skills and mental models, applied as pre-test and post-test. SPSS 11.5 package program was utilized to analyze the quantitative data obtained from the study. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Whether the quantitative data has a normal distribution was assessed by descriptive statistics and Shapiro-Wilk Test. Depending on the results, parametric tests were used in the study. In the study to analyze the relationship between the pre-test and post-test scores of academic achievements, scienctific process skills and mental models of the groups, "t-test for independent groups", paired samples t-test were performed and the data were compared by p ≥ 0,05 significance level. As a result of the analysis of the data obtained from the quantitative dimension of the study, it was found that the students in the experimental group, achieved higher Achievement Test, Scientific Process Skills Scale, Mental Models Assestment Scale test scores compared to the students in the control group and that the difference between them were significant. As a result of the descriptive analysis of the data obtained from the qualitative dimension of the study, the experimental and control group students' mental models were determined and classified in three levels of primitive, synthesis and scientific model. It was seen that the experimental group students improved their mental models towards scientific models regarding the results of qualitative data. It was concluded that, model based science teaching, provided a positive contribution to the development of the students' academic achievement, scientific process skills and mental models and can be applied successfully in the science and technology courses. In accordance with the results obtained, suggestions about model-based teaching are made.