Primary school 4th grade Turkish course different teaching practices in teaching punitioning signs: An action research

The research, which aimed to investigate whether differentiated teaching practices in teaching punctioning signs in the 4th grade primary school Turkish lesson can be used as an alternative way, was carried out according to the action research method. The research was carried out with 27 students studying in the 4th grade of primary school in Koçarlı district of Aydın province in the 2022-2023 academic year. In order to determine the level of students' use of punctuation marks, the class selected according to the probe session was given an irregular text with the spelling rules and punctuation removed, and the students were asked to rewrite this text in accordance with the rules. The students' use of capital letters and punctuation marks were considered as a problem. 7-week action plan has been prepared for this problem. The curricula in the action plan were taught with differentiated teaching techniques. Data were collected through observation, interviews and teacher diaries. The analysis was done with descriptive and content analysis. In the implementation of the action plans determined for each week, the participation in the lessons increased, and the statements of the students in the interviews were in this direction. In this context, it has been observed that differentiated teaching practices increase students' participation in classes, students use punctuation marks appropriately and correctly, and there are positive changes in social characteristics such as friendship relations, motivation and interest, curiosity and attitude towards the lesson. It has been observed that taking into account individual differences, learning speed and style in differentiated instruction is not only limited to developments in the affective field, but also increases cognitive achievement. It has been observed that there is an increase in students' success, interest in the lesson, curiosity, and correct use of punctuation marks in the lessons realized with differentiated instruction. Similarly, it was determined that there was a statistically positive increase in the students' test scores before and after the application. The results reveal that the activities of differentiated education programs in which punctuation suggestions are applied in Primary School 4th Grade Turkish lessons make positive contributions to the development of affective, cognitive and social development.