Identification of variables effecting science process skills in primary science and technology course

The main purpose of science education is to improve students? study, investigation,critical thinking and problem solving skills, to help students for being life long learningindividuals and to sustain their curiosity about their far and near environment where they livein. Therefore, students? acquisition of science process skills, which provide students?producing scientific knowledge and learning the nature of science by living, is highlyimportant. There are many researches conducted putting forward that, many variables areaffective in the students? acquisition of science process skills. The purpose of this study is toexplore the relations between science process skills, academic achievement, attitudestowards science and parent?s relevance of seventh grade students besides, the effects of theinstructional methods, and teachers? usage level of science process skills, and thedemographic characteristics on those skills in science and technology course. The universeof the study is composed of seventh grade students in district of Buca in İzmir. The sampleof the study is 176 seventh grade students who were chosen by target sampling from districtof Buca in İzmir. ?Science Process Skills Test towards Students?, ?Attitude Scale towardsScience?, ?The Scale for Perception of Parents? Attitudes?, ?Classroom Observation Formtowards Teachers?, ?Science Process Skills Test towards Teachers? and student informationform were used as data collection tools. The results of the study show that, students? scienceprocess skills are at low level ( X =9.82 / 25). Another result is that, there is a positiverelation between science process skills, academic achievement, attitudes towards science andparent?s relevance (r = 0.57; r = 0.35; r = 0.30 respectively). Moreover, it was found that,there is a statistical difference between students? acquisitions of science process skills andteachers? usage level of science process skills besides, the education level of parents andvariable of having a computer ( p = 0.019, p = 0.022, p = 0.023, p = 0.03 respectively).Key words: Science Teaching, Science Process Skills, Attitudes towards Science.