Development of an instructional module on formation of seasons through a stem approach and examination of its applicability in flipped classrooms

This study, provides a rigorous and adaptable methodology based on the inverted STEM classroom strategy in teaching the formation of seasons in the 8th grade science course curriculum. This study was carried out in accordance with the embedded design, one of the mixed method research designs. The preliminary test in the quantitative dimension of the study, semi-experimental pattern with a final test control group, and phenomenology pattern in qualitative dimension were used. The sample of the research consists of 40 eighth-grade students studying in a school in the district center of one of the Central Anatolian cities in the fall semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. In the teaching of the formation of the seasons, the flipped STEM classroom strategy was used in the experimental group, while the methods included in the curriculum were used in the control group. Quantitative data of the study were collected by the scale of inverted learning, academic achievement test, attitude towards STEM, and science course. Qualitative data of the research were collected through document analysis and semi-structured interviews. While the quantitative data of the research were analyzed by transferring them to SPSS 26.0 and AMOS program, the qualitative data were subjected to descriptive and content analysis. As a result of the research, it was determined that there was a low-level significant difference in favor of the experimental group in terms of academic achievement, attitudes towards STEM and science between the experimental group and the control group. A high-level significant difference was found in the data obtained with the flipped learning scale. The 5 themes and 29 codes obtained as a result of the content analysis of the qualitative data reveal the reasons for the increase in the achievement and attitude levels of the experimental group students. The results obtained with the research show that the STEM based teaching module is applicable in flipped classrooms and has a positive effect on students' thoughts towards flipped learning, their academic achievement, their attitudes towards STEM and science, and their views on TYESSS.