The effect of the constructional approach on students? sucsess and attitudes in physics educations

In this thesis study was to show the effect of the application of the constructional approach on academic success and attitude in secondary education physics lesson.Two classes having the same academic achievement average the previous year, on one of which the constructional approach was applied and on the other the traditional educational methods, were chosen to observe the effects of the constructional approach on the academic success and attitudes in the physics lesson of the secondary school students. The same subjects were given in the same time to the both groups. The levels of the experimental group and control groups? pre-readiness test were determined and the attitude scale was applied with the pre-test done before the topics were introduced. While the traditional methods were used with the education of the control group, the experimental group received an education based on the constructional approach.The Reliability Analysis was done and cronbach alpha quotient was calculated to determine the consistency of the questions that construct the physics attitude scale within each other and to which level the scale being used reflected the concerned problem. The independent example t-test was used to determine whether there was a meaningful difference in accordance with the demographical and personal variety in the students? academic achievements and the attitudes towards physics lessons. The related example t-test was used in the analysis of the differences in the grades of the pre-test and the final test.Moreover, the independent example t-test was used in the analysis of the characteristics differences between the experimental and the control group. Besides the analysis stated, supplementary statistics (maximum value, minimum value, average and Standard deviation) were also used.The final test and the attitude scale were applied to the groups to verify the success levels of post-practice, the reality of the hypothesis is tried to be determined by setting the effect of the method difference on academic success and attitude.In conclusion, it was observed that before the application, there seemed no difference in the success and attitude of the control and the experimental groups. After the application though there was an improvement in both the control and experimental groups? success and attitude, the improvement was more evident in the experimental group.Key words: Constructional Approach, Traditional Approach, Knowledge, Learning, Education, Physics teaching.