УПРАВЛЕНИЕ И ОБРАЗОВАНИЕ MANAGEMENT AND EDUCATION TOM VII (4) 2011 VOL. VII (4) 2011 THE EFFECT OF SOME VARIABLES ON THE PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS ATTITUDES TOWARDS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY APPLICATIONS Sevgül Çalış, Yeter Şimşekli ЕФЕКТЪТ НА НЯКОИ ПРОМЕНЛИВИ ВЕЛИЧИНИ ВЪРХУ ОТНОШЕНИЕТО НА УЧЕНИЦИ В НАЧАЛНОТО УЧИЛИЩЕ КЪМ ЛАБОРАТОРНИТЕ ПРИЛОЖЕНИЯ НА НАУКАТА И ТЕХНОЛОГИЯТА Севгюл Чалъш, Йетер Шимшекли ABSTRACT: The purpose of the study is to determine the attitudes towards science and technology laboratory lesson of fifth and eight grade students and examine the relationship between attitudes and some variables such as grade, gender, different schools and academic achievement level. Survey method was used in the study. After the study, it was found that there was a positive relationship between attitudes towards science and technology laboratory applications and grade, gender, achievement level and school types. The answers of open ended questions about the experiments the students did also showed that fifth grade students benefited of the laboratory applications more than the other students. Keywords: Science and Technology lesson, science laboratory applications, attitude. Introduction Attitude is a tendency which is attributed to an individual and generates his opinions, feelings and behaviours related to a psychological object (Smith 1968). It can be said that faith is the basis of developing positive attitudes and positive behaviours (Uluçınar 2009). In other words, if a students believes that he can learn the difficult or new subjects through experiments without getting bored, his attitude will be positive and this will result in doing experiments that meet the purposes. The new Primary Education Science and Technology Education Curriculum which starts at fourth grade includes a great number of activities and experiments so that students can understand the subjects with no difficulty. Many of the activities can be done in class, while some of the experiments can be done in laboratories. Laboratory applications are one of the important components of Science and Technology Education (Yıldız at al. 2006; Akgün 2005). Laboratory applications help students not only to concretize the information they learn in Science and Technology lessons but also they contribute to students learning scientific method and developing scientific process skills and pscychomotor skills. These skills make it easy for students to understand more complex science subjects they are going to study in the future. In addition, these practices result in students developing love and care, in other words, developing positive attitude towards Science and Technology lesson (Aydoğdu 2000; Aycan at al. 2001; Ergin at al. 2001). As demonstrated in many studies (Yeşilyurt at al. 2004; Emre at al. 2009; Kozcu Çakır at al. 2007; Yaşar and Anagün 2008; Yıldız at al. 2010; Karaer 2007) students attitudes towards Science and Technology lesson, laboratory environment, the frequency of laboratory use and the teacher s attitude towards laboratory applications have great effect on students attitudes towards laboratory practices. If students have positive attitudes towards laboratory applications, laboratories will be used more effectively and time will be used more efficiently and this way the experiments will reach the goals and the information will be learned more effectively. This will ease the teacher s job in laboratory environment (Orbay at al. 2003). The new Science and Technoloy Curriculum pays special attention to experimental studies and the students attitudes towards scientific and experimental studies are effective in the application of this curriculum. If the new curriculum is not supported by activities and experiments efficiently, students will have difficulty in under- 122
standing science subjects and it will not be effective enough to develop their attitudes towards Science and Technology lesson and laboratory applications positively. Research Significance The purpose of Science and Technology lessons is to help students gain scientific process skills as well as learn basic concepts in science. It is essential to use laboratories in Science and Technology lessons so that students can learn basic scientific concepts effectively and permanently, they can develop their scientific process skills and they can learn scientific method. If students have positive attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratories, it will be easier for teachers to use the laboratories and also students will take part in the experiments more effectively and as a result they will learn the things more efficiently. The purpose of this study is to determine the attitudes of fifth grade and eighth grade primary school students towards Science and Technology laboratory applications and to examine the relationship between their gender, academic achievement level, grade, laboratory environment in the school and students attitudes. For this purpose, the following questions were tried to be answered in the study: Is there a relationship between the grades students are studying at and their attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratories? Is there a relationship between students gender and their attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratories? Is there a relationship between the schools students are studying at and their attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratories? Is there a relationship between Science and Technology lesson academic achievement level of students and their attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratories? Method Research Model Survey method was used in the study. Survey method is a data collection approach in which the researcher collects the data to describe the nature of a condition as it exists, to determine the relationship that exists between specific events and to compare the relationship between variables (Karasar 1999). Research Sample The universe of the research included fifth and eighth grade primary school students who were studying in Bursa during 2009-2010 academic year. The sample of the study consisted of 367 fifth grade students and 483 eighth grade students, 850 in total, from nine schools selected from the universe. The distribution of the sample is shown in Table 1. The fifth grade and eighth grade students from nine schools in Bursa province were chosen randomly in the study. 367 (%43.18) of the students who participated in the study were fifth grade and 483 (%56.82) of them were eighth grade students. 451 (%53.06) of the students were girls and 399 (%46.94) of the students were boys. Schools were represented by 226 students the most and 26 students the least Table 1.Distribution of research sample according to grade, gender and school School Name 5th grade 8th grade girl boy girl boy n % n % n % n % NÖİ 31 53.4 27 46.6 31 53.4 27 46.6 İİ 9 47.4 10 52.6 14 58.3 10 41.7 HÖİ 10 62.5 6 37.5 5 50 5 50 Dİ 29 61.7 18 38.3 23 47.9 25 52.1 TKİİ 23 57.5 17 42.5 20 62.5 12 37.5 ZGİ 42 50 42 50 70 49.3 72 50.7 SKİ 13 48.1 14 51.9 39 49.4 40 50.6 Aİ 15 60 10 40 13 50 13 50 Dİ 26 51 25 49 38 59.4 26 40.6 Total 198 54 169 46 253 52.4 230 47.6 123
Data Collection Resources The data collection instrument consisted of three parts. The first part included personal information such as grade, gender, school and academic achievement level and the second part included Science Education Laboratory attitude scale. In the third part, the students were asked to write the name of the experiment they did in Science and Technology lesson and what they learned from the experiment. Science Lesson Laboratory Applications Attitude Scale, which was adapted to laboratories by (Yeşilyurt 2003) and whose reliability was 0.83, was utilized in the study in order to determine the students attitudes towards Science Education laboratories. 5 li likert tipte 34 maddeden oluşan ölçek 20 olumlu, 14 olumsuz madde içermektedir. The fivefold-likert scale consisted of 34 items, 20 positive and 14 negative. The reliability of the scale was 0.84. Analysis of Data The collected data was analyzed via SPSS 12 program. Grade, gender, school and achievement level were independent variables in the study. Independent groups t-test was used to analyze the attitude differences towards Science and Technology laboratory according to grade and gender and one-way ANOVA was used to analyze the differences according to school and achievement level. Level of significance was accepted as 0,05 (Büyüköztürk 2002; Kalaycı 2009). While analyzing the responses of the students for the open-ended questions, the names of the experiments were listed and the ones who wrote what they learned from the experiments accurately were organized numerically in the table. Finding And Discussion In order to find out if there was a significant difference in attitude scores according to grade variable, t-test was utilized and the findings are shown in Table 2. Table 2. T-test result of attitude scores towards Science and Technology laboratory according to grade. Grade N X S sd t P 5th grade 367 138.56 16.88 848 7.14.000 8th grade 483 129.92 17.88 As can be seen in Table 2, while the average Science and Technology laboratory attitude score of fifth grade students is 138.56, the average score of eighth grade students is 129.92 and there is a significant difference between the scores [t (848)=7.14; p<0.05 ]. T-test result of attitude scores towards Science and Technology laboratory according to gender is shown in Table 3 Table 3. T-test result of attitude scores towards Science and Technology laboratory according to gender Gender N X S sd t P Girl 451 137.00 15.98 848 5.89.000 Boy 399 129.87 19.31 As can be seen in Table 3, the average Science and Technology laboratory attitude score of girls is 137, while the average score of boys is 129.87 and there is a significant difference between the scores [t (848)=5.89; p<0.05 ]. Although Kozcu Çakır and his friends (2007) stated that gender didn t have any effect on students. attitudes towards Science lesson, this study demonstrated that girls have more positive attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratory applications. Statistical results of students attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratory according to school variable are shown in Table 4 124
Table 4. Statistical results of attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratory according to school variable. School N X S Name NÖİ 116 138.36 15.03 İİ 43 131.83 14.60 Hİ 26 140.80 17.50 Dİ 95 132.57 16.13 TKİİ 72 131.19 19.76 ZGİ 226 132.12 20.31 SKİ 106 129.76 18.20 Aİ 51 138.56 16.26 Dİ 115 134.83 16.32 Total 850 133.65 17.97 When Table 4 is examined, it can be seen that the highest average score in schools is 140.80 and the lowest average score in schools is 129.76. Anova results of attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratory according to school variable are shown in Table 5. Table 5. ANOVA results of attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratory according to school variable Source of Variance Sum of Squares sd Average of the Squares F p Source of Difference Intergroup 8111.178 8 1013.897 3.204.001 NÖİ-SKİ Intragroup 266091.88 841 316.399 Total 274203.06 849 In Table 5, it can be seen that there is a significant difference according to school variable [F (8-841)=3,204; p<0.05]. When it is checked with Bonferroni, one of the Post-hoc tests, the difference between SKİ and NÖİ in terms of Science and Technology laboratory attitudes is significant in favor of NÖİ. There were some other factors which affected the results of the study such as socio-economic differences between schools, lack of space for laboratories, lack of equipment in laboratories and the number of students in classes (Çallıca at al. 2001;Güzel 2001). One-way Anova results of attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratory according to students achievement levels are shown in Table 6. Table 6. Statistical results of attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratory according to students achievement levels. Student s Grade N X S (out of 5) 1=Fail 101 123.35 14.99 2ve3=Satisfactory 275 127.80 17.27 4ve5=Successful 474 139.25 16.48 Total 850 133.65 17.97 125
Table 7. Anova statistical results of attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratory according to students achievement levels. Source of Sum of sd Average of F p Source of Variance squares Squares Difference Intergroup 34994.270 2 17497.135 61.955.000 B-Z B-O Intragroup 239208.79 847 282.419 Total 274203.06 849 In Table 7, it can be seen that there is a significant difference between students Science and Technology lesson success levels and their attitude scores [F (2-847)=61.955; p<0.05]ī. When it is checked with Bonferroni, one of the Post-hoc tests, in terms of Science and Technology laboratory attitudes it is significant in favor of the students whose grades are high.. The results of Gürkan and Gökçe s study (2001) show that there is a positive relationship between the students success level and attitudes. The students were asked to write the name of the experiment they had done in Science and Technology lesson and what they had learned from the experiment. The data is shown in Table 8. Table 8. The data related to experiments that had been done by students in science and technology lesson. Classes The number of students The number of students who wrote the name of an experiment The number of students who wrote the name of an experiment and understood it The percentage of students who wrote the name of an experiment and understood it 5th grade 367 335 331 90.19 4 8th grade 483 180 177 36.72 3 Total 850 515 508 59.84 7 The number of students who wrote the name of an experiment, but didn t understand it As it is shown in Table 8, 335 students out of 367 from the fifth grade wrote the name of an experiment and 4 of these students couldn t explain what they learned from the experiment, but 331 students could tell what they had learned from the experiment. 180 students out of 483 wrote the name of the experiment, 3 of these students couldn t explain what they had learned from the experiment, but 177 students could tell what they had learned from the experiment. The changes in curriculum sometimes cannot be applied in laboratory applications (Kocakülah and Kocakülah 2002). Ayrıca ikinci kademe öğrencilerinin sınav hazırlığı nedeniyle Fen ve Teknoloji dersinin laboratuar ağırlıklı işlenmesi gerçekleştirilememektedir. In addition, since 6th, 7th and 8th grade students study hard for the exams, Science and Technology lesson laboratory applications cannot be performed efficiently. Conclusion and Suggestions In this study, the purpose was to determine the fifth and eighth grade students attitudes towards Science and Technology lesson laboratory applications. For this purpose, the relationship between their attitudes and their grade, gender, school and success level variables were examined in the study. It was found out that there was a significant difference between their attitudes and their grade, gender, success level and school. It was also seen that there was a significant difference between the average score of fifth grade students and eighth grade students. This may be due to teacher factor and also because eighth grade students are studying hard for SBS and they prefer doing tests instead of laboratory applications. When the students attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratory applications were considered in terms of gender, it was seen that there was a significant difference between the 126
average scores of boys and girls. It was understood that the girls had more positive attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratory applications and this may be because girls have better developed psychomotor skills. There was also a significant difference between students Science and Technology attitude scores in terms of school variable. The teachers in schools, laboratory environments in schools and socioeconomic conditions of schools may have had an effect on this difference. There was a significant difference between students attitudes towards Science and Technology laboratory applications and their achievement level. Success increases curiosity and interest and this may have been effective in their attitude scores. When the fifth grade and eighth grade students responses to the open-ended questions were examined, it was seen that fifth grade students benefited from the laboratory applications more than the eighth grade students. This may be due to teacher factor and also because eighth grade students are studying hard for SBS and they prefer doing tests instead of laboratory applications. References 1. Akgün, E., (2005). Bilgisayar destekli ve fen bilgisi laboratuvarında yapılan göstermi deneylerinin öğrencilerin fen bilgisi başarısı ve tutumları üzerindeki etkisi. Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi, Elektronik Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 2(1). 2. Aycan, Ş., Aycan, N., Arı, E. ve Türkoğuz, S. (2001). Manisa Demirci Lisesi nde kimya laboratuvar uygulamalarının kimya dersi başarısına etkisi üzerine bir çalışma. IV. Fen Bilimleri Eğitimi Kongresi 2000, Bildiler Kitabı, 486-489. Ankara: Milli Eğitim Basımevi. 3. Aydoğdu, C. (2000). Kimya öğretiminde deneylerle zenginleştirilmiş öğretim ve geleneksel problem çözme etkinliklerinin kimya ders başarısı açısından karşılaştırılması. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi 19, 29 31. 4. Büyüköztürk,Ş., (2002). Sosyal Bilimler İçin Veri Analizi El Kitabı. Pegema yayıncılık. Ankara. 5. Çallıca, H., Erol, M., Sezgin, G. ve Kavcar, N. (2001). İlköğretim kurumlarında laboratuar uygulamalarına ilişkin bir çalışma. IV. Fen Bilimleri Eğitimi Kongresi 2000, Bildiler Kitabı, 217-219. Ankara: Milli Eğitim Basımevi. 6. Emre, İ., Turan,M. ve Bahşi M.,(2009). Fen laboratuarının işlevselliğinin ilköğretim okullarında değerlendirilmesi. e-journal of New World Sciences Academy, 4(2),595-603. 7. Ergin, Ö., Akgün, D., Küçüközer ve H. Yakal, O. (2001). Deney ağırlıklı fen bilgisi öğretimi. IV. Fen Bilimleri Eğitimi Kongresi 2000 Bildiler Kitabı, 345-348 Ankara: Milli Eğitim Basımevi. 8. Gürkan, T. ve Gökçe, E. (2001). İlköğretim öğrencilerinin fen bilgisi dersine yönelik tutumları. IV. Fen Bilimleri Eğitimi Kongresi 2000, Bildiler Kitabı, 188 192. Ankara: Milli Eğitim Basımevi. 9. Güzel, H. (2001). İlköğretim okulları ı. ve ıı. kademedeki fen bilgisi derslerinde laboratuar etkinlikleri ve araç kullanımının düzeyi. IV. Fen Bilimleri Eğitimi Kongresi 2000, Bildiler Kitabı, 181-187. Ankara: Milli Eğitim Basımevi. 10. Kalaycı, Ş.,(2009). SPSSUygulamalı Çok Değişkenli İstatistik Teknikleri. Asil Yayın Dağıtım. Ankara. 11. Karaer, H.,(2007). İlköğretim ikinci kademe sekizinci sınıf öğrencilerinin fen bilgisi dersine yönelik tutumlarının bazı değişkenler açısından incelenmesi. Erzincan Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 9(1), 107-120. 12. Karasar,N.,(1999). Bilimsel Araştırma Yöntemleri. Nobel Yayın Dağıtım. Ankara. 13. Kocakülah, M. S., Kocakülah, A. (2002).İlköğretim fen eğitiminde yapılan deneysel çalışmalar ile ilgili öğretmen görüşleri. V.Ulusal fen bilimleri ve matematik eğitimi kongresi bildirileri 16-18 Eylül,O.D.T.Ü. Ankara, s.100-107. 14.Kozcu Çakır, N., Şenler, B. ve Göçmen Taşkın B., (2007). İlköğretim ikinci kademe öğrencilerinin fen bilgisi dersine yönelik tutumlarının belirlenmesi. Türk Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 5(4), 637-655. 15.Orbay, M., Özdoğan, T., Öner, F., Kara, M. ve Gümüş, S., (2003)."Fen Bilgisi Laboratuvar Uygulamaları I-II" Dersinde Karşılaşılan Güçlükler ve Çözüm Önerileri. Milli Eğitim Dergisi,157. 16. Smith,M.B., (1968). İnternational Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Crowell Collier and Mac Millan. 17.Uluçınar Sağır,Ş., Aslan, O., (2009). Fen bilgisi öğretmen adaylarının özyeterlik inançlarının çeşitli değişkenler açısından 127
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