The effects of using the student teams achievement divisions technique in science and technology education on students? self-efficacy, test anxiety, academic achievement and retention

The aim of this research is to examine the effect of Student Teams Achievement Divisions (STAD) technique on seventh grade students? self-efficacy, test anxiety and academic achievement in learning ?Force and Motion? unit in Science and Technology course.This study has been administered to the three seventh grade classes at an primary school located in Antalya over an eight week-period during the first semester of 2010-2011.91 students who study at 7/A, 7/B and 7/C classes comprise the sample of the study. The 7/B class was chosen as the experiment group, the 7/C as the control-1 group and the 7/A as the control-2 group.The data is collected by utilizing a pre-test post-test control grouped experimental design. While courses in experimental group has been performed with STAD technique of cooperative learning method; courses in control-1 group has been performed with the current Science and Technology curriculum based on constructivism and courses in control-2 group has been performed with traditional teaching method by the researcher.Force and Motion Unit Achievement Test which is developed by the researcher, Self Efficacy Scale towards Science and Technology, and Test Anxiety Scale were used as data collecting instruments.The analysis of data collected from research has been evaluated being used one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).Finding indicated that STAD technique of cooperative learning method has a more significant effect on self-efficacy, test anxiety, academic achievement and retention than the traditional teaching method and the current Science and Technology curriculum based on constructivism. Besides, in the test anxiety of students in classes taugt by STAD technique and taught by Science and Technology program based on constructivist approach, significant differences were provided, than the classes taugt by traditional teaching method, but there was no significant difference among those two groups.