The effects of environment education program which was conducted with secondary school 9th grade students in the natural environment on their academic achievement: Ovacık Sample

In this study the effects of programme of the natural environment on the students achievements the 9th class of secondary school was investigated. The research was carried out in a quasi-experimental research design according to pre-test post-test control group model. Two successfully identical groups were chosen according to pre-test results. One of the groups was defined as control group and the other was defined as experimental group.The research was conducted through a camp in a natural environment with secondary school 9th grade students attending Private Martı Schools during instructional year of 2010-2011. The study group consisted of 120 students 60 of which were in experimental and 60 of which were in control groups.The data collection tool used in this study was the current measurement and evaluation questions which were taken from ?Secondary Education 9th grade Biology Curriculum? that was developed by Ministry of National Education, Board of Education and Discipline in 2007 and recommended to biology teachers. The collected data was analyzed though SPSS 11.0.Before the treatment it was defined that there was no significant difference between the groups? academic achievement scores (t(84, 0,05) = 1,191, p = 0,237 > 0,05). Therefore, the groups were assumed to be relatively identical regarding dependent on variables. According to the results of the academic achievement test after the experimental treatment, it was found out that there is a significant difference in favor of experimental group (t(84, 0,05) = 2,63, p = 0,010 < 0,05). Depending on this result in the scope of the study group, it may be said that the instructional program based on the nature experience causes a significant difference in students? academic achievement than traditional instruction alone. According to the academic achievement test results at the end of the experimental treatment, a significant difference was defined (t(41, 0,05) = 3,10, p = ,003 < 0,05) in the pre-test and post-test scores of experimental group students. In the line of this result it may be claimed that the instructional program based on the nature experience has an important effect on enhancing the students? achievement in the experimental group. According to the academic achievement test results at the end of the experimental treatment, no significant difference was found (t(43, 0,05) = 1,15, p = ,256 > 0,05) in the pre-test and post-test scores of control group students. On this result, it may be claimed that the traditional instruction does not have important effect on increasing the students? achievement in the control group. According to the academic achievement test results at the end of the experimental treatment, no significant difference was defined (t(40, 0,05) = 1,39, p = ,172 > 0,05) in the experimental group regarding gender. It may be said that the gender does not affect the post-test scores of the students in the experimental group. Besides, the qualitative data collected in the research were analyzed in detail and explained through texts by concretizing with schemas. While drawing the schemas the packet program INSPIRATION 9 was benefited from. At the end of analysis of qualitative data it was revealed that the experimental group students who had the instruction based on the nature experience showed a significant amount of awareness on perceiving the concepts such as environment, human being, soil, ecosystem and forest and etc. before and after the experimental treatment.Key words: Environmental Education, Environmental Education in Natural Settings, Environmental Education based on Nature Experience, Biology Teaching, Academic Achievement