Space for household waste and recycling academic achievement of students through based education and its effect on attitudes

In this study, the aim was to examine the effect of place-based learning on the academic achievement and attitudes of 7th grade middle school students towards the topic of "Household Waste and Recycling" in the science education curriculum. For this purpose, a pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design was used in the study. The research group consisted of a total of 46 students, including 22 experimental group students and 24 control group students studying in a state middle school in the Samsun and Tekkeköy districts during the 2022-2023 academic year. The demographic information scale, environmental attitude scale, and achievement test were used to collect data for the study. The control group was taught about household waste and recycling according to the current curriculum prescribed by the Ministry of Education, while the learning of the experimental group students was supported by out-of-class learning environments. In this context, the experimental group students were taken to the municipal waste recycling facility and 2 private recycling facilities for place-based learning activities. The quantitative data of the study were collected through pre- and post-tests administered to all groups using the achievement test and environmental attitude scale. The frequency and percentage values of the data obtained from the demographic information were calculated and interpreted. The data obtained from the environmental attitude scale and achievement test were analyzed and interpreted using the SPSS 22 program. The normality of the data was examined using the Shapiro-Wilk test values to determine whether the analysis of the quantitative data should be done using parametric or non-parametric techniques. Parametric tests such as dependent and independent sample t-tests and ANOVA tests were used for analysis. Non-parametric tests such as Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used for analysis. The analysis revealed that teaching activities carried out in place-based learning environments for household waste and recycling were more effective than those carried out in the classroom. Students' attitudes towards the environment were also more favorable towards the experimental group where place-based education was provided. Based on the information obtained from the study, various recommendations were made.