The implementation process of the physics curriculum based on the interdisciplinary context learning approach and the cognitive and affective outcomes of the implementation in students

The main purpose of this research is to analyze the practice of physics curriculum which was conducted through an interdisciplinary context-based learning approach and also to examine the cognitive and affective changes in students during the application. The research was designed as a case study. Criteria sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods, was picked to determine the application school and class. The participants were thirty-three 10th-grade students from an Anatolian high school in Yüreğir, Adana. 23 girls and 10 boys were sampled in the second semester of the 2017-2018 academic year. In the study, the physics curriculum on "Electricity and Magnetism", based on the interdisciplinary context-based learning approach, was developed by the researcher. While developing the curriculum, the relevant literature was examined and the needs analysis was made by asking the opinions of teachers, students, and field experts. When designing an interdisciplinary context-based curriculum, the Electricity and Magnetism unit was divided into three modules (Electrostatic, Electric current and Magnetism), and the goals, content, and teaching-learning process of the curriculum were associated with ten disciplines. In the high school physics curriculum, eight lesson plans were prepared in accordance with the eight-week teaching process of the Electricity and Magnetism unit. The plans were prepared considering the interdisciplinary context-based REACT model, and then the designed curriculum and lesson plans were presented to the expert opinions. The pilot scheme of the curriculum, which was corrected in line with the suggestions, was carried out in three weeks, and the main application was carried out in eight weeks. Quantitative data of the research was collected via Daily Life Association Test, Interdisciplinary Problem Solving Skill Form, Scale for Attitudes towards Solving Problems of Physics and Affective Characteristics Questionnaire About Physics. Qualitative data of the research were collected via; interview forms, document reviews, video records, and student diaries through eight weeks of application. To analyze the gathered data descriptive statistics (means, SD, frequencies, and percentages), dependent groups t-test were applied. Rubrics were used to analyze Bilgileri Günlük Yaşam İlişkilendirme Testi, Interdisciplinary Problem Solving Skill Form and Student Worksheets. The qualitative data was analyzed by the content analysis method. For the reliability and validity of qualitative data diversification, expert review, long-term interaction, and the researcher's posture were taken into account. In the reliability and validity studies of the quantitative data, Kendall's coefficient was calculated. As a result of the research, the students' information related to daily life increases to 61% from 6%; interdisciplinary problem-solving skill levels increased from "initial" and "acceptable" to "good" and "very good". Negative feelings and thoughts towards physics lesson and problem-solving in physics also changed positively after application. During the process, it was determined that the students had difficulties in numerating, remembering and explaining the concepts/formulas of the subject and making the common decisions, attending the lesson, focusing on activities and solving interdisciplinary problems by following the problem-solving steps. The students often tried to cope with these difficulties with their individual efforts (trying to participate more, reviewing the lecture notes, giving more and different examples, and trying to focus more on the lesson). Other strategies adopted by the students in dealing with difficulties were; exchanging ideas with friends, requesting the repeat of the subject, and asking the teacher to give different examples.The difficulties that the researcher faced were generally related to the inclusion of some students in group work, teaching crosscheck in the problem solving, enabling the students to understand the subject and communicate with each other. The strategies followed by the researcher to deal with these difficulties are; updating the lesson plan, guiding the students' focus, making a difference in the problem solving process, controlling the learning-teaching process, behavior management and asking support from school management. Cognitive changes created by the application in students; development of interdisciplinary relationships between information, linking information with daily life more often, increase in permanent learning and thinking skills. Affective changes were; not being afraid of the physics lesson, becoming interested in the lesson, realizing that physics is in daily life, focusing more on the lesson, and believing in success. The students discern the application from other physics lessons as; interdisciplinary thinking, associating the information with daily life, faster problem solving, expressing the thoughts freely, being eager to participate more in the lesson, paying attention to the thoughts of others, interesting and fun. Some students think that the dones in the application process was sufficient, while others stated that more experiments, video shows, problem solving, group work should have been done. Other suggestions of the students were to decrease the number of people in the groups, to have assessment at the end of each lesson, to have a quieter environment, to spend more time in the laboratory and to increase the number of visual materials. Keywords: Interdisciplinary teaching, Context-based learning, REACT, Electricity and magnetism unit, Secondary education