The effect of peer instruction on sixth grade students' science achievement and attitudes


Tezin Türü: Doktora

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Eğitim Fakültesi, Matematik ve Fen Bilimleri Eğitimi Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2007

Öğrenci: SELEN SENCAR TOKGÖZ

Danışman: ALİ ERYILMAZ

Özet:

This study has aimed to examine effectiveness of the peer instruction on sixth grade students’ science achievement, attitudes concerning current electricity and retention rates of what has already learnt about current electricity as compared to the conventional instruction. The study was conducted during 2005-2006 spring semester with 121 students from the four classes of two elementary schools in the central Yenimahalle district of Ankara. Current Electricity Achievement Test (CEAT) and Attitude toward Current Electricity Scale (ATCES) were administered as pretest to all groups in order to determine students’ level of prior knowledge and level of interest toward the subject before the treatment, respectively. Then, treatment started in experimental group. It continued three weeks throughout the current electricity subject. While experimental group implementing the peer instruction, control group continued with their conventional lecturing. Immediately after three weeks, students both in control and experimental groups were post tested with the same test and scale. Moreover, three months after the post tests, delayed post test on the CEAT was also administered to both experimental and control groups. The data obtained from the administration of tests and scales were analyzed by the statistical techniques of MANCOVA; follow up ANCOVA’s and repeated measure ANCOVA. Results of the statistical analysis indicated that the peer instruction has significantly greater effect on students’ science achievement and retention rates as compared to the conventional instruction. However, the statistical analysis failed to show a significant difference between the attitudes of students instructed by the peer instruction and the conventional instruction.