The effect of using a diary in science and technology teachin on the success and attitude of students to the lesson

This study has been carried out: To determine the effect of keeping a science diary in Science and Tecnology lessons on academic success and the attitudes towards science lessons.The sample group consists of fifty four children that attended lessons in the classes 6/A and 6/ B at a primary school between 2009-2010 semesteri. Class 6/B were assigned randomly as experiment group and class 6/A assigned as the control group. The test that has been carried out before the experiment on the knowledgelevel of both sections of their fifth grade science and tecnology class and their end of the year marks on these lessons show that both groups can be considered as equal. According to the study the experiment group was made to keep a science diary for three units of the science and tecnology book in the first term of the 2009-2010 education year. The diaries were examined by the researching at the end of everyweek to maintain a contiuance of the study. Above all of this the Science and Tecnology class proceeded parallel with the school curriculum.A test was applied to both the experimental and control groups. The first exam consisted of fifth year science and tecnology subjects and the last test consisted of ?Reproduction of Creatures, Growth and Development?, ?Force and Movement ?,?The Granule Structure of Substance?.? Attitude Towrads Science and Tecnologoy Scale? which was developed by Akınoğlu (2001) was used during the study. Also to determine the learning style of the experimental group the ?Learning Styles Scale? that was developed by Ersoy (2003) was used. To gather information on the perspectives of the students about the study they hace carried out, at the end of the study a ?Questionnaire Interview? was carried out. The data that was gianed during the study was analyzed with the packet programme SPSS 15. In the anaylses of the data to compare the avareges ANCOVA, to determine the difference between the avareges t-test, and to investigate the relationship between learning styles and success in science Pearson Corelation anaylses was used. According to the data gathered, the Science Diary which enables students to revise while they are writing the subjects in their dairy has increased their academic success. Among the students whose learning style has been determined in the experimental group, the children who possess a Contact kinestetik type of learning were more succesful in this study. Also the study that has been carried out has changed the attitude of the experimental group in a positive way.Key Words: Science Diary, Learning Styles, Attitudes towards science and tecnology lessons, Academic succes.