Primary education 8th grade ataturk's principles and historyof revolution the blended learning method in the courseeffect of attitude academic success and course

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of blended learning environment created in "Turkish Republic Revolution History and Kemalism" course on students' academic achievement and attitudes toward the course. This experimental study was conducted in the 2011-12 academic year with 8th graders studying in three classrooms of Ataturk Primary School located in Afyonkarahisar, Turkey. Totally, 92 students participated in this study in which the experimental group consisted of 31 students while the first control group was composed of 31 students and the second control group comprised 30 students. The experimental group was provided blended learning while the first control group online learning and the second control group face-to-face learning. This study had a pre-test – post-test control group experimental design. The quantitative data came from the Turkish Republic Revolution History and Kemalism achievement test and the scale measuring attitudes toward the Turkish Republic Revolution History and Kemalism course while the qualitative data came from an evaluation form administered to the experimental group and the first control group. Data collected through the achievement test and attitude scale were analyzed via SPSS 18.0. Independent-samples t tests, one-way and two-way analyses of variance were used to analyze the quantitative data. The qualitative data were analyzed through document analyses to determine students' perspectives. According to the results obtained from the Turkish Republic Revolution History and Kemalism achievement test, significant differences were found in favor of the experimental group exposed to blended learning. The blended learning environment was found to positively affect students' attitudes toward the course. Significant differences were found in favor of blended learning. In the first control group exposed to online learning, students' attitudes toward the course were negatively affected. According to the test results, possessing a personal computer (PC) was found to have a positive effect on achievement of students exposed to blended learning, but no effect on their attitudes toward the course. Significant differences were also found among pre-test results of the achievement test in favor of boys. However, there were nonsignificant differences among post-test results of the achievement test. According to the total preadministration results obtained by the attitude scale, there were nonsignificant differences between girls and boys in terms of their attitudes toward the course. According to the results of two-way analyses of variance, method used in the course was found to affect achievement before and after the intervention. Results indicated that blended learning is the most effective one with student achievement. The results of two-way analyses of variance also showed that method used in the course affects students' attitudes toward the course.