Seventh-Grade Students’ Levels of Associating Science Courses with Real Life

Abstract

This study aims to reveal the extent to which secondary seventh-grade students can associate what they learn in science courses with real life. The study was conducted with a descriptive method after selecting participants through probability-based sampling methods, namely, stratified sampling and cluster sampling. The research was carried out with 274 seventh-graders from 12 secondary schools in the central districts of Ankara province during the 2017-2018 academic year. The students’ levels of associating science with real life were studied from two perspectives: proposing solutions to real life problems by drawing on scientific principles and identifying the scientific principles applicable in solving related life problems. To properly assess these measures, two tests were developed by the researcher and were used. These tests consist of open-ended problem scenarios and are called the “Test of Life in Science” and the “Test of Science in Life”. The data analysis results revealed that the students cannot sufficiently associate science courses with life, as they cannot propose solutions for life problems employing scientific principles and they also cannot elicit the principles applied in solving life problems related to science. Moreover, the students’ levels of associating science courses with life significantly vary depending on the students’ socioeconomic status, access to supplementary science courses, domestic Internet access, and out-of-school experience of science learning. The study results seem significant, as they imply the need for necessary arrangements to educate students as individuals who are able to do the following: solve real-life problems by using their scientific knowledge; make decisions and put forward useful outcomes for the good of society by using such knowledge from good science education; adapt easily to their community; and develop favorable consumption habits.