The Impact of Out-of-School Learning Environments on 6th Grade Secondary School Students Attitude Towards Science Course

Abstract

This study was conducted for the purpose of determining the impacts of out-of-school learning environments on 6th-grade students’ attitudes towards science course. In the study, the quasi-experimental model and pretest-posttest control grouped experimental design was employed. The experimental process step of the study was carried out on 6th-grade students who receive education in a secondary school in Turkey in 2017 and maintained for 18 weeks. 60 students are included in the study group of the research (control group=30, experimental group=30). For the purpose of measuring the attitude scores towards science course, “The Scale of Attitude towards Science Lesson” was used. The experimental phase was performed by science lesson teacher both in the control and experimental groups. No experimental process was applied in the control group. The instruction was provided in accordance with the Science Course Curriculum. While the instruction was provided in line with the control group in the experimental group, out-of-school learning environments were also included in the teaching process. Out-of-school learning environments were specified by considering the learning outcomes in the 6th-grade science curricula. Experimental group students visited out-of-school learning environments with the guidance of the science teacher. Science museum, anatomy museum, planetarium, nature trip, science festivals, energy park and aqua park are among the out-of-school learning environments. As a result of the study, it was seen that the attitudes of the students in the experimental group were increased at a significant level, and no significant improvement was realized in control group students’ attitudes.