The effects of teaching based on metacognitive teaching strategies in science and technology education on students' metacognitive awareness and skills, academic achievement and attitudes

The aim of this research is to examine whether the teaching based on metacognitive-skill improving teaching strategies, which is applied on the students who get in the third period, affects students? metacognitive awareness and skills, academic success and attitudes towards Science and Technology subject or not.The research is carried out with 5th grade students, attending an elementary school of Ministry of National Education in Ağrı, Eleşkirt. It is conducted in the 2nd semester of 2010-2011 educational year, for 4 weeks, 12 hours per week.The working group of the research consists of 64 students from 5/A and 5/B classes. 5/B class is chosen as the testing group and 5/A is chosen as the control group randomly.The data is collected by utilizing a pre-test post-test control grouped experimental design.The testing group is instructed with metacognitive-skill improving strategies. The control group, on the other hand, is instructed with strategies based on constructive teaching approach which is available in the curriculum.During the research, metacognitive awareness scale for children, scale of metacognitive skills, scale of attitudes towards Science and Technology subject and an achievement test which is built up by the researcher have been used as data collecting tools.The analysis of the data collected from the research has been done by using independent samples t-test and frequency analysis.According to the research results, use of metacognitive-skill improving strategies in Science and Technology subject has improved students? metacognitive skills compared to current program. And it has also enhanced students? academic success significantly. However, no significant statistical difference has been observed between the testing group and the control group in terms of metacognitive awareness.