The correction of 6th-grade students' misconceptions on decimal notation with digital concept cartoons designed according to the 5E model

This study aims to correct the errors and misconceptions of sixth-grade secondary school students on decimal notation with digital concept cartoons designed according to the 5E Model. The study was conducted with a total of 8 sixth-grade students who study at a public secondary school in the 2018-2019 school year. The action research methodology based on the qualitative research approach was adopted in this study. Lesson plans for digital concept cartoons designed according to the 5E model were prepared, and then the students' misconceptions on decimal notation were tried to be corrected. As the data collection tools; Misconception Identification Form-1 (MIF-1), Misconception Identification Form-2 (MIF-2), Observation Notes taken during the implementation process, Interviews conducted related to MIF, and Student Interview Form (SIF), consisting of a total of 21 open-ended questions on decimal notation prepared by the researcher, were used. Qualitative data analysis techniques were implemented in data analysis. As a result of the research, it was revealed that lesson plans consisting of digital concept cartoons designed according to the 5E Model corrected the errors and misconceptions that the great majority of students had in the past about decimal notation. Most of the students, who had misconceptions/errors on the concepts of decimal notation before the application, were found to have largely corrected their misconceptions/errors about sequencing, digit value addition/subtraction operation, pointing in the number line, and rounding, following lesson plans composed of digital concept cartoons designed according to the 5E Model. On the other hand, it was observed that the students' misconceptions/errors in the operation of multiplication/division and problem-solving in decimal notation could not be eliminated. Finally, it was deduced from the outcomes of the SIFs that most of the students expressed a positive opinion about digital concept cartoons and found the concept cartoons amusing, instructive, and improving.