Teachers’ Views on the Practice of Project – Based Learning Approach in Primary School Science Education Yunus Doğan1, Veli Batdi1, Bilal Yildirim2 1

2

Fırat University, Mustafa Kemal University (Turkey) [email protected]

Abstract The aim of this study is to determine teachers’ views on the practice of project-based learning approach in primary-school science education. The population of the study includes 170 teachers working in the city of Elazıg during the academic year of 2011–2012, and the sample of the study includes 94 teachers, 50 of whom are male and 44 are female. In this research, survey method has been used. As a data collection instrument, “Developing the Implementation Difficulties Scale for the Project Based Learning” developed by Pektas, Çelik and Köse (2009) has been used. The analyses of the data have been carried out through SPSS 15.0 Computer Package Program. In analyzing the data, percentage, frequency, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, t-test, Scheffe and ANOVA techniques have been used. Moreover, for determining the difference between the groups, LSD test has been used. It is understood from the teachers’ views concerning the project based learning that there is not enough time for applying the Project based learning in the curriculum and the students are not able to use this approach effectively. According to these research findings, it can be suggested that students should be helped to use the Project based approach and teachers should use the approach more frequently. Key Words: Project-based learning, teaching of Science, Teachers’ views

1. Introduction Rapid developments in technology affect life socially, scientifically and economically. Especially, the recent scientific developments have had a great impact on our lives and will continue to do so in the future. At this point, science education can be effective in the development of a country’s economy. Thus, both in order to keep in step with scientific and technological changes and developments and to maintain these improvements, there is a great need for people who can use knowledge and create technological changes. In educational systems, special value is given to science education to meet this need and there is a great effort for increasing the quality of science education. With this respect, preparing the educational programs regarding the most suitable methods and techniques and applying these programs into science education has become a significant issue (Ayas, 1995; Nbina, 2010). From this point forth, it can be said that the main aim of an educational system in today’s information age should be to provide students with skills to gain knowledge on their own rather than transferring the existing information directly, and to encourage them to comprehend and learn, to create new things by making use of the already-existing information, to cooperate by sharing their knowledge with others, to make use of each others’ knowledge, and to, foresee imminent problems and use scientific methods for any possible solutions. Here, the most important task is that educators should show learners the ways of obtaining information rather than directly giving it. Thus, educators should use methods and techniques in which knowledge is used more effectively (Kurnaz et al., 2007). In recent years for all the objectives above, there are certain studies related to new learning environments and

modern instructional principles. And the project-based learning is among the most considered learning methods including the integration of many other methods and disciplines (Korkmaz and Kaptan, 2002). The use of the project-based learning approach, which increases academic achievement by making learning amusing, enjoyable and meaningful and which provides students with a richer variety of learning experiences compared to the traditional learning approach (Gültekin, 2007), in science and technology lessons that include heuristic activities is very significant (Pektaş et al., 2009). And in parallel with this, the essential aim of the science and technology curriculum is to enable all individuals, no mattter what individual differences they may have, to grasp basic science concepts, to realize the relationship among science-technology, society and environment in their daily lives, and to gain some scientific attitudes and values (Yılmaz and Çavaş, 2007). The science and technology education provides students with life-long useful knowledge and skills (ChanLin, 2008), and it improves the quality of students’ lives by enabling them to develop critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills, it helps them to take responsibility in activities by learning to take environmental interest sensitivity into consideration, and it leads them to take part in a universal society consisting of individuals having knowledge of science (Krajcik et al, 1999; as cited in Gültekin, 2007; Waters & Ginns, 2000). Thus, in order for students to receive a sound science and technology education, some necessary settings and conditions should be prepared. It is not possible for students, whose development during primary-school period necessitates some special effort and work, to acquire this kind of a vital knowledge in classes where traditional teaching methods are used efficiently and productively. Therefore, at this point the Project-based learning, one of the modern approaches centering students (Boondee et al., 2011), stands out as an ideal teaching approach among the latest approaches suitable for application in science and technology education (Seloni, 2005). While Simkins (1999) defines the Project-based learning as a learning approach in which students learn new knowledge and skills during the process of design, planning and creating a new product (as cited in Odell and Valine, 2011), Fletcher (2008) defines it as a learning method that enables students to focus on complex problems and solve them through research. And Gonzales and Nelson (2005) define this approach as an instructional strategy used in order to achieve success in today’s dynamic study-fields ( as cited in Yalçın et al., 2009). They further suggest that this approach not only includes students’ learning knowledge, content and realities but it also contains students’ acquisition of some important skills related to the other fields of the educational system, and their research on real-life topics. According to another definition, the Project-based learning is an instructional strategy that encourages students to learn the content on their own, and to show what they understand by making different presentations (Stripling & Macko, 2000). In addition, it is also suggested that it is an instructional method that develops students’ thinking skills, encourages them to produce original things, allows them to work in cooperation, and that enables them to access the information on their own, to present this information and to make self-assessments (Kubiatko & Vaculova, 2011). In this approach, which insures learning by means of projects and which is based on a problem interrelated with other disciplines (Gültekin et al., 2007), project works are not a subject on their own, but they have a nature of complementing all the subjects in the curriculum. Thus, project works have an important place in the curriculum in that they help students use their abilities, know their strengths, and determine what they will study, and they help increase the intrinsic motivation (Korkmaz and Kaptan, 2002). And in this approach, which associates the real-life problems with a cooperative learning environment, students uses such functional skills as critical and interpersonal skills in order to solve the problems in their projects. The integration of these technical skills and their adaptation to the environment gives students an opportunity to comprehend what they learn in class and to apply them (Brescia et al., 2009). The teachers who use the project-based learning approach, which includes

many other approaches and centers students by providing interdisciplinary and cooperative studies (Atıcı and Polat, 2010) are different from the teachers that use the traditional methods in many ways. In the project-based teaching, which blends the traditional subject-based learning objectives with real learning environments (Eskrootchi & Oskrochi, 2010), teachers do not lead the learning activities, do not provide sources for students, do not present any material or not directly convey the information to students. Students spend most of their time studying on their own or in small groups. They find their sources, lead and assess their studies on their own. Teachers are not a leader in students’ projects, but they are only a member of the group (Mergendoller & Thomas, 2011). Need for social life is continuously making itself felt in the science and technology curriculum. In teaching of science and technology it takes too much time for students to finish homework. However, the success that is achieved in a lesson in which this much of time is spent is lower than expected. In addition, as students move up, the subject-matters get denser. And, unless they spend enough effort, there is a decline in their success levels. Thus, students’ motivation and attitude towards this lesson are affected by this, and these factors are decisive in students’ level of success (Civelekoğlu & Öztürk, 2010). It is stated in the new Turkish primary school curricula that the information should not be conveyed directly by teachers, but it should be constructed in mind. The ministry of Turkish National Education based the 2004 primary-school curricula on the constructivist learning approach, thus the projectbased learning approach has directly become valuable. According to these new curricula, the information is learned by reconstruction in mind rather than by direct teaching. When the strategies used in these curricula are examined, it is understood that there is a learner-centered process in them. Especially with regard to the science and technology subject, the project-based learning approach stands out as one of the most suitable methods in this sense (Kurnaz et al., 2007). Hence in this study, we have tried to resort to teachers’ views in order to determine the efficiency of project-based learning practices in teaching of science

2. Method The aim of the study is to determine teachers’ views on the practice of the project-based learning approach in primary-school science. In this research, survey method has been used, and as a data collection instrument, “Developing the Implementation Difficulties Scale for the Project Based Learning” developed and analyzed for validity and reliability by Pektas, Çelik and Köse (2009) has been used. The population of the study includes 170 teachers working in the city of Elazıg during the academic year of 2011–2012, and the sample of the study includes 94 teachers, 50 of whom are male and 44 are female. And in the analysis of the data, percentage, mean, standard deviation and variance values have been made use of. Moreover, Scheffe, Anova, LSD and t-test have also been carried out.

3. Findings and Discussion Table 1: Views on the Teacher Sub-Dimension in Use of the Project-Based Learning Approach in Teaching of Science Items 1. 2. 3.

Views During the process of practicing the Project-based learning, teachers of other branches do not work in cooperation. My background knowledge in efficient use of the electronic sources for accessing information for the Project-based learning applications is poor. I qualify in using the educational technologies in the Project-based learning

X

2,42

ss 1,21

2,71

1,16

3,87

,92

4. 5. 6.

applications. There is no need to give in-service training on the project-based learning to science and technology teachers. My background knowledge in applying the project-based learning to all the subjects in science and technology classes is sufficient. The education I received during the pre-service period is sufficient for me to guide students during the Project-based learning process

3,15

,99

3,51 1,02 3,31 1,17

In Table 1, the teachers’ views on the teacher sub-dimension of the Project-based learning (PBL) in primary-school science teaching are examined. The majority of the teachers’ view on the item “During the process of practicing the Project-based learning, teachers of other branches do not work in cooperation” is “disagree” ( X =2.42). This result shows that teachers are in cooperation while using the Project-based learning in teaching of science. Korkmaz and Kaptan (2007, 92) highlight that this learning method requires acting in unison and working in cooperation with many other disciplines. And the teachers’ general view on the item “My background knowledge in efficient use of the electronic sources for accessing information for the Project-based learning applications is poor” is “neutral” ( X =2.71). As regards this item, it is understood that the teachers do not have enough knowledge about using the electronic sources for information access in the Project-based learning. The fact that the teachers’ general view on the 3rd item questioning teachers’ efficiency in using the educational technologies in the Project-based learning is “agree” ( X =3.87) supports the notion that they feel sufficient in this regard. It is understood that there is a meaningful difference between the teachers’ views on this item and the gender variable (t(92)=2.39, p