Reading and writing strategies used by primary students in science and technology lessons

In order for students to develop an understanding of science and the skills related to it, they need to be able to read, write, and think critically about the topics in science and technology. When the ability to read and write in science and technology literacy is taken into consideration, it becomes obvious that students need to be proficient in reading and writing strategies. In this study, the determination of the reading-writing strategies students use in science and technology courses, and relationship between these strategies and variables such as gender, academic success and class level, are examined. The study was carried out with 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade level students (N=1864) in elementary schools in Giresun in the 2010-2011 academic year. In the study, survey research method was employed, and the data were collected by a Reading and Writing Strategies Scale which its reliability coefficient was found 0.866. The data gathered were analyzed by frequency, average, standard deviation, independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance. It has been found that, rather than other strategies, the students most frequently use self-questioning, envisaging what they read, underlining the important parts, and reorganizing what they write. It has been determined that there is a statistically significant difference in the strategies students use depending on variables such as gender, academic success and class level. It has been concluded that the strategies students make use of, such as inferring questions from important points in a text where they detected their shortcomings, and then trying to answer these questions, preparing dictionaries of the concepts learned, sharing their writings, and supporting their writings with visual materials, may arise from their perception of these as time-consuming activities. It has also been concluded that the strategies that are most effective for students work because they provide an efficient connection to the text. Therefore, it was recommended that supporting education with extracurricular activities, increasing the appeal of preparing a science dictionary, carrying out group work, increasing the number of studies that promote reading and writing strategies, especially in the upper grades, and carrying out activities where the students can share their writings.