Effectiveness of guided inquiry based science activities on primary school students' science process skills

This research was structured with a mixed method in which qualitative and quantitative data were used together to determine the effectiveness of guided inquiry-based science activities on the science process skills of primary school students. In the quantitative dimension of the research, a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test - post-test unpaired control group (N = 26 experimental, N = 26 control group) was created with 52 fourth grade primary school students in two classes currently studying at the school where the researcher works. As a data collection tool, the fourth grade primary school science process skills test, developed by the researcher and whose pilot application was completed in the 2020 - 2021 academic year and whose KR-20 reliability coefficient was determined as 0.819, was used. In the qualitative aspect of the research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with N = 13 randomly selected students from the experimental group, who were divided into two similar groups, in order to support the data obtained. The quantitative data of the study were analyzed with the jamovi statistical program, and the qualitative data were analyzed with the descriptive analysis method. The experimental activities implemented within the scope of the research were organized as 10 activities of 2 lesson hours each, within the framework of the themes of the earth's crust and the movements of our world, our food, the effects of force and the properties of matter, taking the primary school fourth grade science course curriculum as a reference, and were applied to the experimental group by the researcher. In the control group, lessons continued to be taught by their own teachers according to the current science curriculum and textbooks. According to the results of the independent groups T test applied due to the normal distribution of the data obtained within the scope of the research, a significant difference (p = .003, p < .05) was found in favor of the experimental group in the post-tests, and the findings were parallel to the qualitative data. As a result of the research, it was revealed that guided inquiry-based science activities improved the science process skills of fourth grade primary school students significantly more than the current curriculum-based teaching and could be applied within the scope of science course at the fourth grade level. Among the scientific process skills, the highest level of development was achieved in the skills of measuring, making inferences, creating hypotheses, controlling and changing variables. It has been revealed that the activities also have a positive effect on the development of observation, classification, prediction and variable determination skills, their positive effect on scientific communication, number-space relations and decision-making skills is limited, and there is not enough development in the ability to conduct experiments. Based on the research results, suggestions were made for teachers to use guided inquiry in primary schools, such as including activity examples in textbooks and supporting them with practical training.