The effects of problem based learning method on students' analytical thinking skills, conceptual understandings and attitudes toward science

Twenty first century in which transition of industrial society to information society is lived , is a term in which information is necessary to go on their existings. In today's information age, it is expected with the science education to grow up students as a scientific literated who can produce effective and pratical solutions to problems which is encountered in daily lifes, improve ability to thinking, increase the success, stay away from rote, have positive attitudes toward science courses. For this aim, creating the learning environments in which student is active and teacher is guide is the main focus in science curriculum which is updated in 2013. One of these learning environments is the environment in which it is used problem based learning method. The aim of the research is identifying the effect of problem based learning method on students'analytical thinking skills, conceptual understandings and attitudes toward science courses. For the purpose of explaing the effect of problem based learning method in science courses, unequal pretest-posttest control grouped quasi-experimental design has been used in this research (Cohen Monion and Morrison, 2007). Because the research was quasi-experimental, it was conducted on the group of study without using universe and sample choice. There are 48 6th grade students who have education in a secondary school affiliated to İzmir Buca National Educational Institution. There are 24 students in experimental group and 24 students in control group. By the aim of collecting data, the conceptual understanding and analytical thinking test toward "Reproduction, Growth and Development in Plants and Animals" which was improved by researcher and "Attitude Scale Toward Science Course" which was developed by Evrekli (2015) were used in the research. The qualitative data of the research has been gathered with semi-structured interviews which was developed by the researcher for the students who attended the period of problem based learning process The result of quantitative data analysis, there is a significant difference between experimental and control groups'analytical thinking skills and conceptual understanding levels in favor of experimental group. There is not a significant difference between experimental and control groups'scores taken from attitudes towards science courses. Besides, the result of semi structured interview made with experimental groups, it is found that students have positive opinions about effects of problem based learning process and learnings. Consequently it is thought that this research will contribute to science education, educators who use problem based learning method, new researches in this field and the literature. Keywords: Science Education, Problem Based Learning, Analytical Thinking Skills, Conceptual Understanding and Attitudes toward Science Course.