The effects of metacognitive and web based metacognitive methods students' understanding, attitudes and metacognitive thinking levels in heredity and cell division issue

The purpose of this study, is to investigate the effects of web-supported teaching material enriched with the help of metacognition on eight grade cell division and understanding inheritance issues. On this direction, the research was modelled on pre and post test controlled group experimental design. The research was carried out on 125 eighth grade students in 2010-2011 academic year. Students (n=30), in the research experimental group, indor to develope metacognitive knowledge and skills, were based web-supported teaching material enriched with the help of metacognition for a period of nine weeks. In other experimental group (n=31), education only enriched with the help of top-cognitive activities were based. In control groups (n=33 and 31) the normal process has been provided to continue. The data used in this study, cell division and inheritance achievement test, metacognition scale, were ontained by using attitude scale science and technlogy lesson.Contrary to control groups, both based on metacognitive activities used experimental group and based on web-supported metacognitive activities used experimental group were seen to be more successful. On the other hand, the experimental group based on web-supported metacognitive activities was found to be more successful than the experimental group based on mtacognitive activities. Attitudes affected by based on web-supported metacognitive activities used experimental group showed some knowledgable differences compared to based on metacognitive activities used experimental group and control groups. Metacognitive activities in web based activities based on this difference in favor of the experimental group were found to be used.Activities based on subscale of descriptive information and cognitive strategy on the web based using metacognitive activities between the experimental group and the control group showed that there are significant differences in favor of the experimental group. In self-control subscale participating web based metacognitive activities than the other experimental group differed in a positive way. Metacognitive activities on the internet using conditional knowledge subscale of the other three groups in favor of the experimental group showed a positive differentiation. The experimental and control groups, procedural knowledge, planning, self-assessment and self-monitoring demonstrate any change in terms of sub-dimensions. Keywords: metacognition, web-based teaching, science education, achievement, attitude, the level of metacognitive thinking