The effects of an online teaching material integrated methods on students' science achievement, attitude and retention

Abstract

This 2-group quasi-experimental study was conducted to explore the following research questions: Do the fourth graders' post-intervention scores achieved in the unit of force and motion achievement test and attitude scale toward the unit depend on being in the groups that were taught the unit either with 'Online Advance Organizer Concept Teaching Material' (ONACOM) integrated PBL and with ONACOM-integrated EL when we control for their respective pretest scores and their science grades in the previous semester? What are the students' gains, achievement, attitude and retention from the two systematic applications of the ONACOM-integrated methods, PBL and EL? The sample (N=220) consisted of fourth graders at public elementary schools in Burdur, Turkey. Although there were no significant treatment effects favoring one of the methods, teaching science topics by integrating ONACOM consistently in both methods increased the students' achievement and attitude levels and supported their knowledge retention with large effect sizes significantly. As well-developed innovative software, ONACOM is effective on learning regardless of the course and method when it is systematically integrated into teaching methods, since it is prepared on the basis of multimedia learning strategies and is suitable for the essential structures of both teaching methods.