Influence of the history teaching to the academic success and space perception of the students by using animation supported maps

This research has been realized to determine the influence of the history teaching to the academic success and space perception of the students by using animation supported maps related with the subjects "Karahan State", "Gazne State" and "Great Selçuk Empire" that are included in the "First Turkish Islamic States" unit of the history course of the 9th grades. The study is important to note that history education formatting is important in accordance with a model by emphasizing the lack of course planning; to draw attention of the specification of the computer supported course materials that attracts the attention of the students to the history courses and that has many sided educational influence by considering the technological developments in education; to indicate that animation supported maps would make a considerable contribution to history teaching by indicating that using maps in history courses is important but insufficient and by explaining the importance of space perception in relation with history courses.This research fills a significant academic and educational gap in terms of using the animation application in a scientific study and also that it includes the effects of map using and it breaks a new ground in this field. Within the scope of the research there is a material design and there are findings related with testing this educational material in two different testing processes. While determining the scope of the research, the class level and application content and material design an interview study has been realized by 51 history teachers who teach in 15 high schools located in Ankara and Çanakkale provinces central districts during 2009-2010 academic years. This study has constitute the basic foundation of the thesis and research has come into existence over this foundation. The animations that are used in the study have been created by a disciplined and laborious working for two years.In the first empirical process of the study by which four sub objectives are questioned the animation supported method is compared with classical method while in the second empirical process animation supported method is compared with the method by educational software. The research has both quantitative and qualitative aspects and the empirical applications that constitute the quantitative side of the research has been realized in two high schools located in Ankara Province Çankaya District in 2011-2012 academic years. In the first experiment there were 59 participants in the experiment group and 60 participants in the control group while in the second experiment there were 18 participants in the experiment group and 20 participants in the control group. In total the experiment has been realized by the participation of 157 people. In this section of the research an experimental design with pre test- final test control group has been used. After the experimental section of the research has been completed and measurements were done, participants have written short compositions related with the evaluation of the process and the compositions of the 74 participants were examined by using content analysis of the qualitative research method and they were categorized and findings are interpreted. In the study, a success test has been used that had been developed by the researcher and that measures the knowledge and ability related with "academic success" and "space perception". The application process has been observed by two observers in accordance with the observation form that has been prepared by the researcher and the application reliability of the study has been determined. The quantitative data of the research has been analyzed by SPSS 18.0 packaged software.In the first experiment during the comparison of animation supported method and the classical method; a significant difference has been found in favor of the experiment group related with academic success points, space perception points and knowledge points according to the findings that were obtained from repeated measurements and between the control group students who were subject to classical method and the experiment group students who were subject to history teaching with animation. In the second experiment during the comparison of animation supported method and method with education software; a significant difference has been found in favor of the experiment group related with academic success points, space perception points and knowledge points according to the findings that were obtained from repeated measurements and between the control group students who were subject to method with educational software and the experiment group students who were subject to animation supported method.Students who learn history by animation supported education method have evaluated the applied education process as enjoyable, challenging, lasting, and fast teaching and working with maps as encouraging and developing the space perception. Students have evaluated the education material as increasing the persistency, enjoyable, helpful for dreaming and a solid and pragmatic product. By this research, it is concluded that history teaching by animation supported maps that are designed suitable to Gagne teaching model provides knowledge persistency for the students, increases academic success and space perception and makes history learning an enjoyable process.Keywords: History education, teaching history, animations, maps, academic achievement, space perception.