The effect of using V-diagrams in ?living things and energy relations? unit?s experiments in eighth grade science and technology lessons on students? achievements, science process skills and attitudes

The goal of this study in the frame-work of Primary School Science and Technology Curriculum of eighth grade students? related ?Living Things and Energy Relationship? unit is to evaluate the success of the usage of V-diagram in their academic achievements, science process skills, and their attitude in Science and Technology lesson and in addition its significant influence if any within the consideration of the purpose.In this research the pre-test/post test experimental design with control groups have been scrutinized. The research was realized in the 2009-2010 academic year 2. term, in Erzurum province at the school officially administered, within total 2 branches consisting of 48 students of 8th class. Having been in randomly choosing way one of experiment group (N=24) and the other-control group (N=24) have been chosen. Both groups have been given before all Academic Achievement Test (AAT), Science Process Skills Test (SPST), and the Attitudes Test in Science and Technology lesson (ATST) as pre-test application. After that both experiment and control groups met with the render of 16 hours duration lesson-unit related to ?Living Thing and Energy Relations? according to curriculum of Science and Technology lesson of eighth grade. The control groups students were to use traditional laboratory reports yet the other group (experiment group) students to use V-diagram as laboratory reports. To both groups were given AAT, SPST, and ATST concluding tests just after the session of unit.The findings obtained over the AAT, SPST, and ATST were analysed through using SPSS 11.5 statistics package programme with independent samples t-test and paired samples t-test. Before the applications of experimental process there have been found no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the means of AAT, SPST and ATST scores. After the experimental application, from the point of the means of ABT and BSBT scores made by the experiment and control group students was statistically significant and would be rather different towards the advantage of experiment group. It might be said that the V-diagram using group have carried their academic achievement peak and their scientific process skills to higher levels. There could be no statistically significant difference between the means of experiment and control groups? ASTS scores to be obtained even if there might be anything better on behalf of the experiment group. All those findings show that V-diagram applications in Science and Technology are more effective than traditional laboratory reports and would be a useful alternative to them.Keywords: V-diagram, Primary education, Science and Technology education, science laboratory, laboratory reports