The effect of REACT Strategy on secondary school students' conceptual understanding, scientific process and life skills

The aim of this study is to research the effect of context-based learning approach REACT strategy on students' conceptual understanding, scientific process and life skills. The study was conducted in the first semester of the 2019-2020 Academic Year with 15 seventh grade students who were selected by the easily accessible sampling method in a secondary school in the Western Black Sea Region. In this research force and energy unit issues were carried out with lesson plans and activities prepared by the researcher according to the context-based learning approach REACT strategy. 4 lesson hours per week were included in the implementation process. The application took 20 lesson hours in a five-week period. In the study, an explanatory design, one of the mixed designs in which qualitative and quantitative data collection tools were applied together, was used. This study was conducted with the seventh grade students of the research school with the pre-experiment pattern without pre-test and post-test control group. While scientific process skills assessment test, life skill scale, force and energy unit conceptual understanding test were used as quantitative data collection tools in the study; Semi-structured interview form was used as a qualitative data collection tool. While it was found in the study that REACT strategy activities had a positive effect on students' conceptual understanding; There is no evidence that it has an effect on preventing misconceptions, scientific process and life skills. In line with the findings of the study, it is thought that the REACT strategy activities used in science lessons will provide the desired outcomes from the learning environment with the meaningful relationships it establishes between the scientific concept and daily life. Keywords: Scientific process skills, science education, force and energy, REACT strategy, life skills