The effect of the brain based learning approach applied in the vocational English course in higher education on the academic success, retention and English attitudes of students

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of Brain-Based Learning Approach on students' academic achievement, attitude and retention effect in vocational English course in higher education. This research is one of the mixed method research designs in which the effects of learning activities created within the scope of Brain-Based Learning activities in second-year vocational English lessons of the Faculty of Law are examined with a quasi-experimental pattern and also includes qualitative research as well as quasi-experimental design. The experimental part of the research was made according to the random pattern with pretest-posttest control group. The universe of the study was composed of the students of Cag University Faculty of Law and the sample of the study was made up of the second year students of the Faculty of Law. A branch of the 2nd grade was determined as the experimental group and the B branch as the control group through unbiased assignment. A total of 75 students, 36 in the experimental group and 39 in the control group, participated in the study. 17 of the students in the experimental group are girls and 19 of them are boys. In the control group, 21 were girls and 18 were boys. The qualitative dimension of the research was carried out with 10 students from the experimental group using the maximum diversity sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods. In addition, as data collection tools in the study, the Vocational English academic achievement test, the English attitude scale, an interview form including student views and student diaries were used. After the academic achievement test was piloted and analyzed, it was applied to the actual experimental and control groups as a pre-test, post-test and retention test. The applications to the experimental and control groups were carried out with 3 hours of practice every week and a total of 21 hours. At the end of each application week, diaries related to the activities carried out to the experimental groups were kept. At the end of the study, interview questions prepared with a group selected from the experimental group students were also applied. SPSS 22, TAP (Test Analysis Program) programs were used in the analysis of the data. In statistical data analysis, parametric tests for normally distributed data; independent groups t-test, paired groups t-test, non-parametric measurements for data not normally distributed; Mann Whitney U-test and Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks test were used. In addition, content analysis and descriptive analysis techniques were used in the analysis of data obtained from interviews and reflective diaries. In the light of the analysis of the data obtained, there is a significant difference in favor of the experimental group between the academic achievements of the students in the experimental group using the brain-based learning approach and the control group using traditional methods. In addition, it was revealed that the students in the experimental group exhibited positive attitudes towards the Brain Based Learning approach and their permanence level resulted in favor of the experimental group. they support each other. The qualitative results of the research also support quantitative data. Keywords: Brain based learning, academic achievement, attitude, retention, language learning