The Impact of Guiding Materials on Students’ Conceptual Understanding: The Case of "What Is the Earth's Crust Composed of?"

Abstract

The aim of this research is to determine the effect of the use of guidance material based on the 5E model on students’ conceptual understanding of a topic entitled "What is the earth’s crust composed of?”. The sample consists of 40 students from the 5th grade (experimental group 20, control group 20). A concept test, a drawing test, and semi-structured interview questions were used for data collection. In the experiment group, guidance material prepared according to the 5E model was used; the control group was conducted using the existing textbook. Student responses were examined in terms of the following categories: complete understanding, partial understanding, alternative concept, no response or irrelevant responses. The quantitative data obtained from the experimental and the control groups were compared by using the Mann-Whitney U-test. Content analysis was used to analyze students’ drawings. In conclusion, it was determined that the guidance materials developed according to 5E model have a positive effect (U=76.00, p<.05) on students' conceptual understanding about the topic entitled "What is the earth’s crust composed of?”.