The Effect of Learning Activities Based on 5E Learning Model on 4thGrade Science Teaching

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effects of the 5E learning model on students’ academic achievement, basic process skills, attitude towards science, and the overcoming of misconceptions. The study was carried out by means of semi-experimental research design. The participants consisted of 41 fourth grade students. They were randomly selected and assigned to the control and the experimental groups. The activities in the force and motion and the properties of matter topics in the fourth grade science curriculum were designed based on the 5E learning model. The implementation lasted six weeks and three hours per week. In order to collect data, four different questionnaires were used: academic achievement test, basic process skills questionnaire, attitude towards science questionnaire, and misconception identification test. The data were collected at the beginning and the end of the implementation from both groups. The results revealed that after the implementation, the experimental group had higher scores comparing with the control group in terms of academic achievement, attitude towards science, and misconceptions. However, these differences were not statistically significant. In terms of basic process skills, the experimental group had significantly higher score than the control group. Therefore, it is concluded that the 5E learning model has a positive effect on students’ academic achievement, basic process skills, attitude towards science, and misconceptions. The implications for future research and practice and the limitations of the study are discussed.