THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT COOPERATIVE LEARNING METHODS ON PRE-SERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS AND EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to find out the effect of teaching “Human Nervous and Endocrine System” subject through the ask together learn together and reading-writing-application methods on third class pre-service science teachers’ academic achievements and epistemological beliefs. Pretest-posttest comparison group quasi-experimental design, which is an experimental research model, was used. The sample of this study consists of 84 pre-service science teachers from two different groups in Atatürk University Kazım Karabekir Education Faculty Science Education Department in 2017-2018 academic year fall term. One of these groups was set as the Experimental Group-1 in which ask together learn together method would be carried out (n=39) while the other group was set as the Experimental Group-2 in which reading-writing-application method would be conducted (n=45). The data were collected via Academic Achievement Test and Epistemological Beliefs Survey. Independent groups t-test were used in analyzes since the data were suitable to perform parametric tests. It was determined that reading-writing-application method is more effective than ask together learn together method in terms academic achievement of pre-service science teachers used in teaching of “Human Nervous and Endocrine System”.  In addition, it was suggested that ask together learn together method is more effective than reading-writing-application method in terms of epistemological beliefs of pre-service science teachers. The results have revealed that reading-writing-application method is more effective in terms of increasing academic achievement of pre-service science teachers and ask together learn together method is more effective in terms of developing epistemological beliefs of pre-service science teachers.