The effect of inquiry-based teaching on students' course achievement, critical thinking skills and permanence of learning in social studies course

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of 7E-supported Inquiry-Based Teaching (IBT) on students' achievement of lesson, critical thinking skills, permanence of learning in the fifth grade social studies course in people, places and environments learning domain and to determine the views of students about 7E-supported IBT. In this research, mixed nested pattern within the mixed research approach was applied as a research model. The quantitative dimension of the research is in the experimental model. In this section, quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test control group was used. In the quasi-experimental design which was applied in this study, while dependent variables were students' course achievement, critical thinking skills, and permanence of learning, the independent variable was 7E-supported IBT. The qualitative dimension of the research was discussed in two sections. In the first section of the qualitative dimension of the research, students completed research reports, diaries, observations and student self and group evaluation forms. This section is a descriptive survey model. The second part of the qualitative part of the research is in the phenomenology model. In this section, a semi-structured interview was conducted with 10 students in the experimental group. In this semi-structured interview, the attitudes of the students in the experimental group towards IBT and also their opinions, experiences in the 7E-Supported IBT practices were determined. The study group consisted of 80 fifth grade students studying at Gazi Secondary School at Yenişehir district of Diyarbakır in the first semester of 2018-2019 academic year. The study group was determined by appropriate sampling method. In the determination of the experimental and control groups, it was taken into consideration that the 4th grade achievement scores were close to each other, the distribution of female and male students were equal and the socio-economic structures of the groups were similar. The selection of the experimental and control groups was made by drawing lots between the two classes which were equivalent in the study carried out in the first semester of 2018-2019 academic year. In this research, the scope of learning was covered with 7E-supported IBT in the experimental group and in the control group in accordance with the instructions in the 5th grade social studies textbook prepared according to the 2017 Social Studies Curriculum. At the beginning and end of the study, the difference within and between the groups was determined by applying achievement test, permanence test and critical thinking scale to the experimental and control groups. SPSS 22 package program was used in the analysis of achievement test, permanence test and critical thinking scale of the experimental and control groups. In the interpretation of the pre-test, post-test, permanence test and critical thinking scale, pre-test and post-test of the achievement test: Arithmetic mean, standard deviation, percentage, frequency, effect size (d and η2) and also for related and unrelated samples t test and two-factor analysis of variance for mixed measurements (MIX ANOVA) were used. The data obtained from semi-structured interviews, research observation forms, research diaries and research reports were analyzed by descriptive analysis method. In this analysis, all forms completed by the students were analyzed by direct quotations. Self and group evaluation forms of the students were analyzed by percentage and frequency technique. According to the results of the study, it was concluded that 7E-supported IBT for fifth grade students significantly increased their social studies course achievement and improved their critical thinking skills significantly, but did not significantly increase their permanence of learning. In addition, after semi-structured interviews with the students in the experimental group in which 7E-supported IBT was applied, the students stated that they understood the lesson better with the practices of 7E-supported IBT, it facilitated their learning, made them learn more permanently and contributed to the positive change of their critical thinking skills.