Preparation and evaluation of technology-enhanced learning environments in the teaching of the eighth grade earth and universe subject area

This study was conducted with the aim of preparing and evaluating technology-enhanced learning environments in the teaching of the "Earth and Universe" subject area in eighth-grade science course. The "Seasons and Climate" unit is included in the "Earth and Universe" subject area of the eighth-grade science curriculum. Therefore, the teaching activities developed within this thesis are directed towards the "Seasons and Climate" unit. The research used the intervention design from mixed research methods. The study sample includes 59 eighth-grade students from a state school in western Turkey. The study used argument-based virtual laboratory applications for experiment group 1 (N=21), argument-based real laboratory applications for experiment group 2 (N=19), and traditional teaching for the control group (N=19). The data collection tools for the study are the "Seasons and Climate Academic Achievement Test", the "Astronomy Attitude Scale", and the "Seasons and Climate" open-ended question form. As a result of the research, it was determined that the designed technology-enhanced learning environments provided a statistically significant, permanent and positive change in the academic achievement of eighth grade students in the unit "Seasons and Climate" but did not cause a significant change in their attitudes towards astronomy. Furthermore, it was found that the concepts in the "Seasons and Climate" unit had positive reflections on learning and eliminating students' misconceptions. Based on these findings, it is recommended that the technology-enhanced learning environments used in this thesis be modelled and expanded in the teaching of the "Earth and Universe" subject area.