The examination of the learning processes by modeling the biology subjects of primary school students

In this study, it was aimed to be investigated of the effect to the cognitive structures for their learning through modeling the Biology Subjects of the elementary school 4th grade students. In the study, it was used the experimental pattern with the pre-test post-test control group. It was formed the sample of research by the 39 primary school students who are educated in a State Primary School in the centre of Erzincan in the academic year of 2018-2019. In this research, the traditional education was applied even for the control group while the education exercises, the modeling based on the experimental group, were being done. At the beginning and end of the application, as a data tool, the open-ended questions developed by the researcher were applied. An analytical scoring rubric has been developed for the evaluation of the data obtained from the open-ended questions. The pre-test and post-test scores of the students were scored by two different scores. The test was applied to the dependent groups t-test for the pre-test post-test difference in the groups by obtaining the aritmetic averages of the calculated scores between the averages of the independent groups t-test. It was investigated the concept frequencies in answers of the open-ended questions that are scored with the analytical rubrics. According to the findings, a significant difference was found between the experimantal and control groups in favor of the experimental group and it was found that they used too many meaningful concepts and less meaningless concepts than the control group ones of the experimental group students in the last test. As a result of the research, it was seen that the modeling-based education applied in the experimental group led to a significant change in the cognitive structures of the students.