Summary


ORIENTEERING AS A SUPPORTIVE EDUCATIONAL TOOL: THE CASE OF MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE

The rapid changes in education and changing needs of students force teachers to seek new methods and strategies that will more effectively support their students' learning experiences and increase their motivation for the courses. In this context, the aim of this research is to examine whether orienteering, a way-finding and discovery sport, can be used as a supportive educational tool, and whether a difference can be made in students' achievement levels in Mathematics and Science courses and their attitudes towards these courses. The research was carried out in a semi-experimental pattern with a pre-test-post-test control group. The study group consisted of 121 students from the 6th and 7th grades at Vestel Secondary School in the Yunusemre district of Manisa. The information tests created by the course teachers were used as a tool for data collection in determining the course achievements of the students in Mathematics and Science Sciences. “Math Attitude Scale” developed by Önal (2013) to measure students' attitudes towards Mathematics; The "Science Lesson Attitude Scale" developed by Keçeci and Kırbağ Zengin (2015) was used to measure attitudes towards science lessons. The tests were performed before and after the practices with the test-retest technique. It was decided which class would be the control group and which one would be the experimental group, according to the pretest scores and by random sampling. The control groups continued their courses as usual without any intervention, and the courses were carried out at one hour per week with orienteering-assisted activities in the experimental group. After two weeks of preparation and six weeks of practice, the achievement levels of the groups in Mathematics and Science and the attitudes of the students towards the courses were examined comparatively. Paired and independent samples t tests were used in the analysis of the data. The results revealed that the groups achieved positive and statistically significant learning in both Science and Mathematics lessons. As a result of the six-week applications, the control group's attitude scores towards science did not change, while the mathematics attitude scores of the experimental group increased significantly. The results obtained support the view that orienteering can be used in schools as an enjoyable learning tool that supports the diversity of teachers' methods.



Keywords

Orienteering, education, science, mathematics, learning, attitude.



References