The effect of constructivist learning based meaningful causal thinking instruction in nineth grade biology lesson on students' meaningful causal thinkings, academic achievements, retention and everyday lives behaviours

The main purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of constructivist learning based meaningful causal thinking instruction in nineth grade biology lesson on students? meaningful causal thinking, academic achievements, retention and everyday lives behaviours. The research was designed according to pretest-posttest experimental model with control group. The research was realized in Ecology unit on nineth grade students during seven weeks of spring semester of 2004-2005 education year in a secondary school placing in Adana City Seyhan District. Experimental group consisted of 32 students and control group consisted of 30 students. The lessons in the experimental group were taught according to instruction based on meaningful causal thinking, besides lessons in the control group were taught according to traditional teaching. As data collecting tools, Biology Academic Achievement Test, Meaningful Causal Thinking Evaluation Test, IOWA and Personal Informations Form were used. Quantitative data were analysed by using independent samples t-test, ANOVA and ANCOVA in SPSS 11.5 programme. Besides, content analysis was used for qualitative data. At the end of the study it was found that, the instruction based on meaningful causal thinking was more effective than traditional teaching on students? biology lesson academic achievements and on meaningful causal thinking, but the instruction based on meaningful causal thinking wasn?t more effective than traditional teaching on retention of academic achievement and retention of meaningful causal thinking. Besides, according to the interviews with experimental group students it was determined that, according to their views, the instruction based on meaningful causal thinking had a positive effect on students? everyday lives behaviours both inside and outside of school. Keywords: Meaningful causal thinking, meaningful learning, constructivist learning, biology instruction, ecology instruction, academic achievement, retention, everyday lives behaviours.