Design-based science education applications for secondary school students

Purpose of this study was to determine the effects of design-based science education applications on the scientific process skills, science learning skills, engineering design process application skills of 7th grade students studying at the regional boarding secondary school and opinions of the students on the process. Thus, convergent parallel design was used which was one of the mixed method research models where qualitative and quantitative research methods were conjunctively used. The study group consisted of three seventh grade students studying at a boarding school affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in Yıldızeli district of Sivas. The application was conducted for 11 weeks in the fall semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. While the quantitative data of the study were collected using the Scientific Process Skill and Science Learning Skills Scale, the qualitative data were collected with semi-structured interviews, student diaries and guides. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, while the qualitative data was analyzed using descriptive and content analysis. As a result of the analyzes conducted at the end of the application, it was determined that the students showed improvement in their scientific process skills, science learning skills and engineering design process application skills.It was concluded that the students actively used decision making, communication, problem solving, measuring, planning, and prototype development skills during the process. The students emphasized that the design-based science education process has an instructive and facilitating effect on solving LGS questions. Students mentioned that they had difficulties in finding materials due to the distance of the school from the center and its being a boarding school.