The effect of context-based learning on middle school students' academic achievement and self efficacy of 21st century skills

This study aimed to determine the effect of context-based learning on middle school students' academic achievement and 21st-century skills self-efficacy. The sample of the study consisted of 6th-grade students enrolled in a public school affiliated with the Ministry of National Education. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Sakarya University, the Sakarya Provincial Directorate of National Education, and the developers of the measurement instruments used in the study. The research was conducted with a total of 54 students, including 13 female and 14 male students in the experimental group, and 15 female and 13 male students in the control group. In the experimental group, the "Sound and Its Properties" unit of the 6th-grade science course was taught based on the REACT model of the context-based learning approach, while in the control group, the lessons were conducted in accordance with the current science education curriculum. The implementation took place during the second semester of the 2024–2025 academic year. Data were collected using the "6th Grade Sound and Its Properties Academic Achievement Test" and the "Middle School Students' 21st-Century Skills Self-Efficacy Scale," both administered as pre-test and post-test. The data were analyzed using the SPSS 22.0 software. According to the findings, students who were taught through the context-based learning approach based on the REACT model demonstrated higher academic achievement than those in the control group. However, no significant difference was found between the groups regarding the sub-dimensions of the 21st-century skills self-efficacy scale. In contrast, when the pre- and post-measurements of both groups were evaluated together, it was found that there was an increase only in problem-solving skills.