The effect of instruction using the station teaching technique on the academic achievement and attitudes of sixth grade science students

The aim of this study is to determine the impact of instruction using the station teaching technique on the academic achievements and attitudes towards the 'Solar System and Eclipses' unit in 6th grade science. The research employed a quasi-experimental design with a posttest-only control group from experimental models. The study included 32 6th grade students from a middle school in Ankara, with both experimental and control groups selected through non-random purposive sampling. In the experimental group, instruction using the station teaching technique was conducted for a total of 12 instructional hours over 3 weeks, with 4 hours per week. Meanwhile, the control group received instruction using techniques prescribed by the Ministry of National Education curriculum. For data collection in the quantitative aspect of the study, an "Achievement Test" developed by the researcher and a "Science Attitude Scale" developed by Aksoy and Taşkın (2019) were employed. Significant differences were found in the achievement test scores between the control and experimental groups. Regarding attitudes towards science, no significant differences were found based on gender and parents' educational background, but significant differences were observed based on written exam grades. Based on the findings, it was concluded that the station teaching technique used in science classes is effective in enhancing the academic achievement of 6th grade students. Recommendations based on the study's results were provided for practitioners and researchers.