Designing, implementing and comparing ?acids and bases? instructional tasks based on REACT strategy and 5E model

The purpose of this study is to investigate effects of `acids and bases? tasks basedon REACT strategy and 5E model on science student teachers? conceptions, attitudes andexperiences towards chemistry and to compare them with existing teaching design andeach other. In this study, quasi experimental research design was used. Acids and BasesConcept Test (ABCT) with two-tier questions, Chemistry Attitudes and ExperiencesSurvey (CAES) and clinical interview questions were developed and then pilot-tested.After making all necessary revisions in the tasks and tests, the ABCT and the CAES wereadministered as a pre-test one week before the teaching intervention. After the teachingintervention, the same tests were employed as a post test. Later on, the same tests were readministeredas a delayed test ten weeks after the teaching intervention in order to measureeffect of the teaching intervention on retention of conceptual understanding and of attitudesand experiences towards chemistry. Moreover, the clinical interviews were conducted witha total of 18 students in the experimental and control groups selected from low, mediumand high levels of conceptual differentiation in regard to their scores on the ABCT.Statistical analysis of the ABCT shows that the experimental groups performed better thandid the control group in favor of the post-test and the delayed-test (p <0.01). But, nostatistical meaningful difference was found between REACT strategy and 5E model. It canbe deduced that the instructional tasks in this current study attained differentiation in theconceptual structure of the science student teachers in a desired way. Meanwhile, it can beconcluded that the REACT strategy slightly influenced the science student teachers? longtermmemory of `acids and bases? concepts as compared to 5E model and the existingteaching design. Statistical analysis of the CAES showed that the instructional tasks useddid not enable the student teachers to improve their attitudes and experiences towardschemistry. Given the teaching designs used in the current study, this study recommends anew model, called REEACT model, for future studies.Key Words: 5E Model, REACT Strategy, Acids and Bases, Conceptual Learning