Secondary School Students' Ideas Related to the Subject of Matter: Drawing Methods (original) (raw)
In the study, the purpose is to determine the ideas of the secondary school students related to the subject of matter by using the drawing method. In this context, the study primarily focused on the analysis of drawing method, and then it aimed to find out the understanding of students related to the subject and their acquired misconceptions. The study was conducted in a secondary school of Pazaryeri district in Bilecik province by using a survey model. It was composed of 38 students, 16 of whom were 6 th grade and 22 of whom were 7 th grade. The drawing test including 4 questions was used as a data-collecting tool. The data obtained were analyzed with a rubric which was developed by the researchers. According to the findings of the study, it is believed that the drawing method can be effective in finding out the opinions of students. When we considered the levels of understanding related to the subject, it could be concluded that the understanding of students was on a moderate level in terms of identifying the relation between their understanding and drawing the model of cell-atom. Moreover, it was reported that the level of understanding was high when considered the drawing of granular structure of matters composed of atom-compound mixture. In view of these results, some recommendations were made related to the outcomes of the study. SUMMARY Purpose and significance: In parallel with the changes and developments made in the education of science, it has been considered that the focus related to learning should be given not only on the level of knowledge but also on the level of comprehension and conception of the students. In order to achieve this, it can be concluded that using the methods and techniques, through which the students learn and experience by attending the classes actively and by forming a relation with daily life, is appropriate. One of these methods is the drawing method. In the study carried out in this respect, the purpose is to determine the ideas of the students from 6 th and 7 th graded related to the subject of matter by using the drawing method. For this purpose, some patterns are presented in the study concerned with the analysis of understanding levels of the students about the subject of matter and the analysis of each problem. Besides, it is aimed to identify the misconceptions that the students have. Methods: In this study aiming to determine the ideas of the students related to the subject of matter, a survey model was used as one of the quantitative research models. The study group included 38 students in a secondary school of Pazaryeri district in Bilecik province. Of the students, 16 were studying at the 6 th grade and 22 were from 7 th grade. In the study, a drawing test developed for the subject of matter was used as a data-collecting tool. This drawing test was prepared in parallel with the content of the 6 th grade unit about the granular structure of matter and it was aimed to prove its validity by submitting it to an expert. In the analysis of data, on the other hand, the questions of drawing were studied by using the scoring key, a 'rubric', developed by the researchers.