The Effect of a Trip Organized In Planetarium on Science Course on Academic Success, Interest and Motivation of 7th Year Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a trip organized on a planetarium within the scope of the Science course on academic success, interest and motivation of 7th grade students and to determine student views on the use of planetariums in a science lesson. To accomplish this goal, the lesson plan, which was integrated with the planetarium trip and prepared in accordance with the 5E model, was implemented. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to find answers to the research problem, and therefore mixed method was used. The study group of the research consists of 32 7th grade students in the 7 / A and 7 / B branches of a village school in the province of Amasya in the 2019-2020 academic year. Appropriate Sampling Method was used in sample selection. In the collection of quantitative data as the data collection tool, "Beyond Solar System: Celestial Bodies Academic Achievement Test", "Science-Related Interest Scale" and "Science Learning Motivation Scale" were used and applied to groups as a pre-test and post-test. In the data analysis, SPSS 22 program used the Shapiro-Wilk normality test and Independent Sample t-Test for statistical calculations. In the collection of qualitative data, pre-trip and post-trip interview questions were used to determine student views. The data were evaluated by content analysis. As a result of the research, it has been determined that if out-of-school education is carried out in a planned manner, it has significantly increased student achievement, interest in science subjects and motivation to learn science with the planetarium trip according to the current education. It was seen that the students who had no idea about the planetarium initially recognized this environment and found it fun and instructive. With this research, it is recommended that planetariums, which are one of the out-of-school learning environments, can be used as an effective educational tool by carrying out planned activities at all educational levels and can be expanded by integrating with the education system.