The effect of context based comics for the 'measurement of force, and friction' unit on the development of students' grounded mental model

This study aims to determine the effect of context-based comics on the measurement of force and friction unit on the development of students' "Grounded Mental Model" (GMM). In addition, the students' and the science teacher's opinions about "Context-Based Comics" (CBC) were examined. The study utilized both quantitative and qualitative approaches, and the participants consisted of 34 fifth-grade students in total, 18 in the experimental group and 16 in the control group. CBC, "Context-Based Learning Situations Test" (CLST) and "Comic Novel Interview Form" were developed within the scope of the present study. The interviews were analyzed through content analysis, and the qualitative data were categorized under the themes of "Academic", "Affective", "Associating with Daily Life" and "Comics and Humor". The quantitative data were analyzed using algorithms and matrices along with the score, concentration factor and concentration deviation from the model analysis elements. As a result of the research, it was determined that the control and experimental group students' GMMs were mostly in favor of the "Inconsistent Mixed Model" (IMM) before the instruction in both the measurement of force and friction force question groups. At the end of the instruction, it was concluded that the GMM status of the students showed a partial improvement in the control group, and that it showed more improvement proportionally in the experimental group in which the CBC was applied. CBC is regarded as an effective teaching material by the participants because instruction with CBC contributes to students in various aspects. Based on the results obtained, it is suggested that the algorithms be made into a program so that the analyzes for the determination of GMM can be made faster. Since CBC supports students' learning, it is recommended to disseminate it as teaching material for different units and courses.