The effect of project based learning method on 4th grade primary school students academic achievement and permanence in human and environment

The general purpose of this study is to reveal the effect of the project based learning method on the academic achievement and permanence of the 4th grade students in Human and Environment unit of the science course. A quasi-experimental design model with pretest-posttest control group was used in the research. The population of the research consists of 4th grade students studying in the central district of Burdur province. Two primary schools were selected according to sample of convenience, and the study was conducted with total of four classes. There are two control and two experimental groups in total, one experimental and one control group from each school. The sample of the study consists of 67 students. Human and Environmental unit was studied with a project based learning method in the experimental groups, the same unit was taught with conventional learning methods in the control groups. An achievement test prepared by the researcher was used as a data collection tool. The achievement test was applied to all groups simultaneously as a pre-test before the application, a post-test after the application, and a permanence test one month after the end of the application to measure the level of permanence. The data was analyzed with SPSS 25 package program. To test the hypotheses of the study, MANCOVA (analysis of covariance) followed by ANCOVA (analysis of multivariate covariance) analyzes were performed. According to the results, it is seen that the use of the project based learning method in the teaching of the human and environment unit has significant effects on the academic achievement and retention levels of the students.