The effect of 8th grade science lesson "DNA and Genetic Code" unit teaching with cooperative learning method on student achievement

The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of teaching the "DNA and Genetic Code" unit of the 8th grade science course with the cooperative learning method on student success. In the research, a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group, one of the quantitative research methods, was used. The sample of the study consists of 38 students, 19 in the experimental group and 19 in the control group, studying at Ibn-i Sina Secondary School in the city center of Elazığ in the fall semester of the 2023-2024 academic year. "DNA and Genetic Code Unit Academic Achievement Test", developed by the researcher and consisting of 30 multiple-choice questions, was used as a data collection tool. While the experimental group was taught with the JIGSAW technique based on cooperative learning, the control group was taught according to the science course curriculum published by the Ministry of Education. SPSS 25.0 program was used to analyze the data. According to the findings of the research, there is no significant difference between the results of the pre-test scores applied to the experimental and control groups. This result shows that the experimental and control groups are similar in terms of academic success. However, a significant difference was detected between the post-test scores applied to the experimental and control groups in favor of the experimental group. The results of the research show that the cooperative learning method is effective in teaching the DNA and Genetic Code Unit of the 8th grade science course. Key Words: Science Course, DNA and Genetic Code Unit, Cooperative Learning Method, Jigsaw Technique, Academic Success