Action research on the development of scientific communication skills of 6th grade students in science courses

Objective: The study's objective is to systematically improve students' discourse-based scientific communication skills (SCS), which are employed in inquiry-based science lectures. Material and Methods: In the research, the action research method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. In the 2019-2020 academic year, 30 6th grade students studying in a secondary school in Aydın Province's Efeler District are the participants of the research. At the stage of determining the problem of the research on solar and Lunar eclipses, at the stage of aciton cycles, support and movement systems, digestive systems, matter, and heat units had been taught by the teacher researcher based on scientific inquiry. Science Learning Skills Scale, Scientific Process Skills Tests, Worksheets, Lesson Observations, and reflectiveTeachers diaries were used as data collection tools. In order to analyze the development of students' scientific communication skills throughout the action cycles, the researcher developed a scientific communication skills rubric. The rubric consists of the dimensions of explaining, asking questions and using rebuttals of scientific communication skills. Each of these dimensions has concept and process sub-dimensions. After each action cycle, the action plan was rearranged, taking into account the results of the analysis on the students' scientific communication skills. Results: The teacher used the authoritative and dialogic discourse moves of the communicative approach in the first action cycle to develop scientific communication skills. The communicative approach used by the teacher supported the development of the students' SCS. However, the studies conducted by the students did not provide data for them to present evidence-based skills for the concept and process. Therefore, a semi-open-ended experiment and scientific story were used in the second action cycle. In this cycle, semi-open-ended experiments and scientific stories developed students' scientific communication skills. However, the scientific communication skills of the students who could not interpret the experimental data and did not understand the scientific story because the lack of the reseach on scientific concept,remained at a low level. In the 3rd action cycle, an action plan suitable for engineering design-based teaching activities was prepared in which students can take an active role in different stages such as research, discussion, design creation, and design evaluation in the scientific inquiry process. The applications based on the design cycle steps used in this cycle improved the scientific communication skills of the students. There was less improvement in the SCS levels of students who did limited research. During the research, there were students whose SCS development did not reach the level of presenting evidence. However, there has been an improvement in the SCS levels of these students compared to the SCSs they presented at the beginning of the research. A different problem situation that arises during the cycles is that students use out-of-focus concepts by moving away from the target acquisition of the course. The teacher's use of authoritative discourse throughout the cycles and reminders of target acquisition reduced the students' use of out-of-focus concepts and enabled them to present SCS about the focus concept. Conclusion: As a result, the communicative approach used by the teacher provided for the students' development of SCS in the inquiry-based learning environment, but the fact that the research conducted by the students did not contain sufficient data limited this development. Science lessons, which were carried out by using semi-open-ended experiments, scientific stories, and engineering design-based teaching activities where students could experience the scientific process, improved the students scientific communication skills. In addition, students used out-of-focus concepts in these lessons by moving away from the lesson goal. The authoritative discourse of the teacher enabled the students to present SCS within the framework of the focus concept.