Investigation of the effect of QR code supported mobile learning applications on learning environmental subjects in life sciences and science courses

The aim of this thesis is to present the effects of teaching environmental achievements included in the "Life in Nature" unit of the 3rd grade Life Sciences course and the "Journey to the World of Living Beings" unit of the Science course in QR code-supported mobile learning environments on academic success, as well as to reveal students' opinions towards mobile learning and QR code applications. Considering the purpose of the research, a mixed research design with intertwined qualitative and quantitative data collection tools has been used. The universe of this research consists of 3rd grade primary school students attending public schools in Istanbul during the 2021-2022 academic year. In the Science course, a total of 47 students were studied with 27 in the experimental group and 20 in the control group; in the Life Sciences course, a total of 49 students were studied with 29 in the experimental group and 20 in the control group. Within the scope of the research, while the teaching of environmental topics included in the Life Sciences and Science courses was conducted in QR code-supported mobile learning environments for the control group, the teaching of these topics was carried out in the experimental group by considering the curricula and using textbooks. The quantitative data collection tools of the research are achievement tests developed by the researcher; the qualitative data collection tools are semi-structured interview forms and student diaries prepared by the researcher. Mann Whitney U Test and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test were used in the quantitative data analyses, while descriptive analysis and content analysis methods were employed in the qualitative data analysis. Looking at the results of the research, it was determined that there was no significant difference between the groups in the pre-test application of the achievement test. However, significant differences were found in favor of the experimental group in the post-test and retention tests conducted after the application. In the interviews conducted with the experimental group and the examination of student diaries, it was determined that the students developed a positive attitude towards both QR code applications and mobile learning environments, their interest and motivation towards the courses increased, and their skills in using technology for educational purposes improved.