The effect of brain based learning design to academic achievement, attitude and retenti̇on of learning students'

Brain-based learning, both how the brain works and how the brain learns best depends on the questions. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of brain-based learning approach on academic achievement, attitude and permanent of learning in 7th grade students' science classes. The pre/post-test control group research model with quasi experimental design was used in this research. The research was conducted with one experimental group and two control groups in 2012-2013 academic years in Elazığ at Gazi Kamil Ayhan Middle School. Totally 109 7th grade students, 37 in experimental group, 36 and 36 in control groups participated in this research. The study took place during the teaching of "Force and Motion" unit with of the science course. In the experimental group, students were taught according to the brain-based learning approach, while in control groups students were taught according to the current science and technology curriculum (partially constructivist learning approach). All groups were taught four hours per week, twenty four hours in total. The "Fenagacim" website was designed and Kunena Joomla forum component was used in the research. An academic achievement test, an attitude scale and a "My brain dominance test", "The form of I am took into account", an interview form and discussions with the sharing of information on the internet were used to collect data in the research. Before the experimental process, academic achievement test, attitude scale and students' science lesson grades were used in order to establish the equivalence of experimental and control groups. Academic achievement test and attitude scale were given as post test. At the end of the intervention, an interview session was done with 36 students in the experimental group. Additionally, approximately four weeks and one year after the intervention, academic achievement retention tests (academic achievement retention I, science attitude scale I and academic achievement retention II, science attitude scale II) were given to the experimental and control groups. The data were analyzed by SPSS 17 software programs. In statistical data analysis, single factor variance analysis (ANOVA) and t-test were used. The results obtained from data analysis are as follows: There was a statistically significant difference on academic achievement in the post test between the experimental group and the control groups, in favor of the experimental group. There was a statistically significant difference on attitude in the post test between the experimental group and the control groups, in favor of the experimental group. There was a statistically significant difference on achievement permanence between the experimental group and control groups, in favor of the experimental group. Moreover, the levels of brain dominance of experiment group changed in the end of brain-based learning practices. The balanced brain-the two hemispheres of the brain the same dominant increased 24% in this research. Additionally, the experimental group said that "we liked to the brain based learning design" in interviews. Key Words: Brain-Based Learning, Science Teaching, Permanent Learning, Achievement, Attitude.