The effect of activities on sound and its characteristics in out-of-school settings on middle school students' interest in science topics and motivation for science learning

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of activities on Sound and its Characteristics in out- of- school learning environments on the 6th grade students' interest in science subjects and their motivation towards science learning, and to determine student views on the use of out- of- school learning environments in science lessons. In the study, a quasi- experimental model with pretest- posttest control group, which is one of the quantitative research methods, was used. Measurements were made before and after the application to the experimental and control group students, who were selected impartially in accordance with the model. For this purpose, lesson plans that were integrated with both a field trip and school garden activities and prepared in accordance with the 5E learning model were used in the experimental group. The study group of the research consists of 50 (25 experimental, 25 control group) 6th grade students studying at a public school in the city center of Çorum in the 2022-2023 academic year. The data of the "Interest Scale for Science Subjects" and "Motivation Scale for Science Education" pen-ended questions prepared for students to answer before and after the trip. The analysis of the quantitative data obtained from the scales was made with the SPSS program, and the open- ended questions in which students' opinions were taken were subjected to content analysis. As a result of the research, there was a significant increase in both the interest in science subjects and the motivation scores for science learning of the experimental group, while no significant difference was found in the interest in science subjects and motivation scores for science learning of the control group students. In addition, the students also expressed positive opinions about the trip to the open- ended questions asked to them. In this context, the students stated that the activities were fun, they increased their interest in the science lesson and they understood the subject better. As a result of the research, considering that the interest and motivation of the students increased due to classroom and extracurricular activities, such activities It is possible to plan with larger groups and allow more students to benefit from these environments. Considering that this trip, which was carried out within the scope of the science course, increased the interest and motivation of the students towards the course, it is possible to suggest that out- of- school environments can be used in the courses where the motivation and interest of the students is low.