An analysis of the scientific process skills of Primary School 7th grade students use in force and movement unit accorging to some variables

This study is a descriptive study and it analyzes scientific process skills that primary school 7th grade students use in Force and Movement unit and variables that may affect these skills. During the data collection period, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used. Relational survey model in quantitative research pattern is used. It was tried to describe scientific process skills of seventh grade students in experiments of force and movement unit, and examine the relationship between the process and the possible variables that may affect this process (learning strategies, demographic characteristics, end of year degree). During the research, in addition, students? books and notebooks were examined and their class performances were observed to describe learning strategies. Moreover, weekly experiments were analyzed and how they used scientific process skills was investigated. In this sense, case study in qualitative research methods was conducted. Participants were selected homogeneous sampling from purposive sampling methods and participants were 2011-2012 educational year Kırşehir, Kaman, Faik Güngör Primary School, 7th grade students. To collect data, different measurement tools were used. In order to determine the students? learning strategies, ?Learning Strategies Scale? which was adapted by researcher, to determine scientific process skills that used by students ?Scientific Process Skills Form? and archives of end of the year degrees were used as a data collection resource.According to study result, when it was analyzed students? scientific process skills, it was found that students applied measurement and using numbers, prediction and inference more, and determining variables, control and classifying less. In addition, when it was analyzed each relationship between the skills in scientific process skills, positive relations were found. This indicates that students used scientific process skills together.Whereas there is a high positive relationship between students? scientific process skills and learning strategies determined by researcher?s observation, there is a weak negative relation between the scientific process skills and learning strategies determined by students? opinions. Furthermore, a high positive relation between averages of the end of the year degree and learning strategies determined by researcher?s observation was found, but the relationship between learning strategies determined by students? opinions and averages of the end of the year degree was not meaningful. This suggests that students are not aware of their own learning strategies. Once more, I did not find any meaningful differences between the students? scientific process skills and their genders, and their parents? educational status.