A research about the effects of the project based learning aproach to the student achievement at the elementary school social science lesson

The general purpose of the research is to evaluate the PBL approach?s effects on elementary school where the comparative experimental design had been formed. Due to this general purpose, firstly the visioner and technological componential which has determined the student achievement at social science lesson, the instructional and excistential social science lesson at dilemma of the social culture and social conscience, the traditional on PBL approach?s additions and liabiliences to student achievement had been arqued on this context making basic theoritical the hypothesis test had been verified in formed comparing from the direction of the traditional and PBL approaches effects on the student achievement.Project Based Learning Approach was conducted on ?Our Turkey?, unit in Social Sciences Courses. This study was carried out in 2005-2006 acedemic year between 27 February and 28 April. In this study Which Project Based Learning is examined quantitative research method is used. Two classes from 6. grades were taken for practice study from Diyarbakır Yenişehir Primary Education School. Experimental group (30) and control group (33) are total 63 students. In this study in which a unit from 6. grade of the primary school lesson called Social Sciences is used, courses are done according to Project Based Learning Approach in the experimental group while traditional instruction methods are carried out in the control group. In this study Social Sciences Lesson?s Attitude Scale and achievement test were carried on two groups at the begining, at the end and after a month.During the studies class teacher with researcher participated to lessons.The result of this study; Project Based Approach contributes to student?s achievements. This observed that most of students are participate in the lesson actively. The aim of this approach -active participation- was seen in a large rate.Students were teachers and researchers in study. They were inside colloberation and they learned sharing and taking responsibility.After the experimental proces; while achievement point?s of students were increasing, their attitude points were decreasing. The increasing in the achievement shows that students had learned better. The decreasing in the attitude points means that students are used to study lesson by their traditional ways and they hadn?t understood Project Based Learning Approach completely.Keywords:, Social Culture, Social Conscience, Project Based Learning, Traditional Teaching Approaches, Learning Achievement.