The effect of the discovery learning strategy supported by argumentation practices on 8th grade students' academic achievement in the interaction of matter with heat

The effect of the discovery learning strategy supported by argumentation practices on the academic achievement of 8th-grade students on the topic of matter-heat interaction was investigated in this study. The study was designed using a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental model with an unequal control group. The study's sample included 34 eighth-grade students (20 students in the experimental group and 14 in the control group), from two different secondary schools in the district of Karaisal in Adana, Turkey, during the spring semester of the 2019-2020 academic year, who were selected using the appropriate sampling method. In the experimental group, a discovery learning strategy supported by argumentation was used, whereas in the control group, only the discovery learning strategy was used. As a data collection tool, the researchers' Academic Achievement Test (AAT) was used. Prior to the lessons, both groups were given the AAT as a pre-test. At the end of three weeks (10 lesson hours), the same test was used as a posttest. Descriptive statistics, paired sample t-tests, and ANCOVA were used to analyze the collected data. The study concluded that the discovery learning strategy, when supported by argumentation practices, improved students' academic achievement. Key Words: Science Education, Discovery Learning, Argumentation, Academic Achievement