Date

2008

Author

Köksal, Ela Ayşe

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The international and national assessment results indicated that Turkish students’ conceptual understanding in science and basic inquiry skills are far behind the expected levels. The reason of low achievement could be attributed to many sources such as family background characteristics, students’ attitudes, and teaching methodologies. The low socioeconomic environment in the school and crowded classrooms are important facts that should be somehow considered by the educational researchers. The way a teacher teaches in a crowded classroom is important to help students’ understanding of concepts and development of inquiry skills. The present study aimed to propose a methodology that helps teachers to enhance students’ understanding of concepts and develop inquiry skills in many schools with various socio-economic-status environments and large classrooms. The method proposed could be called as guided (teacher-directed) inquiry to develop concepts, skills, and affective characteristics of the students such as attitudes. This study was conducted with 168 sixth grade public elementary school students in Ankara in 2006-07 academic year. Repeated measures design was used in the study. Intact groups received either traditional or teacher-directed inquiry instructions. The students in both groups were measured with the unit achievement and science process skills tests, and attitudes toward science questionnaire before and after the instructions, and repeatedly after no treatment by a retention or delayed test. It was found that while the guided (teacher-directed) inquiry instruction made a difference on student achievement in the first unit (Reproduction, Development and Growth in Living Things), it could not make a difference on student achievement in the second unit (Force and Motion). The instruction also made a difference on students’ science process skills test performance and both the composite and individual attitude scores. It is concluded that guided (teacher-directed) inquiry instruction generally helps students’ understanding of science concepts and results with achievement in science. It helps students’ development of scientific skills with authentic experiences. Guided (teacher-directed) inquiry instruction also has an effect on students’ development of positive attitudes toward science and technology course, specifically on self-concept, anxiety, interest, career, enjoyment, and usefulness dimensions.

Subject Keywords

Secondary Education., Teaching (Principles and Practices).

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/3/12609719/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/17812

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis