Research on the effectiveness of technology-supported instruction on students' academic achievement, attitudes towards science, and motivation in the 7th grade science unit on pure substances and mixtures

Science education provides important opportunities for students to understand, analyze, and apply abstract concepts. In this context, the topic of pure substances and mixtures, which is part of the 7th grade Science curriculum, can be difficult for students to comprehend due to its abstract and complex nature. The main purpose of this study is to determine whether there are differences in students' academic achievement, attitudes toward science, and motivation in the pure substances and mixtures unit taught through technology-supported instruction versus traditional instructional approaches among 7th grade middle school students. The research method was conducted within the framework of a quasi-experimental design. The sample consisted of 90 7th grade middle school students studying in Alanya, Antalya. Experimental and control groups were formed in the study; technologysupported instructional methods were applied in the experimental group, while traditional instructional methods were used in the control group. During the data collection process, an academic achievement test, an attitude scale, and a motivation scale were used. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS program. The results showed that the technology-supported instruction applied in the experimental groups significantly increased academic achievement, whereas the traditional method in the control groups did not result in a significant change. Additionally, the multiple comparison of the experimental and control groups indicated that there was no significant difference between the groups' pre-test and post-test scores in terms of attitude toward science. However, when each group's pre-test and post-test scores were compared internally, it was found that only the post-test attitude score of Experimental Group 2 showed a significant difference compared to its pre-test score. Lastly, regarding the motivation variable, no significant difference was found between the pre-test and post-test scores across the groups.