USAGE OF DISCOVERY LABORATORY APPROACH
IN TEACHING OF SCIENCE CONCEPTS

Hakan S. Ayvaci
Yasemin Devecioglu
Karadeniz Technical University

Abstract

In this research, Discovery Laboratory Approach (ELA) is presented, and the application process of an experimental activity developed according to this approach and the effectiveness of the aprroach depending on the students’ comments at the end of the process is evaluated. The study was conducted with 16 students at the fifth grade in a primary school in Trabzon. Document analyses, observations and interviews were conducted to collect data. In this study, Discovery Laboratory (DL) was introduced through an activity developed according to the characteristics of DL using a worksheet describing the processes involved before, during, and after laboratory. The behaviors of students were tried to be defined during the application of DL. And finally students were interviewed at the end about the effectivenes of the process. It is concluded that using DL activities is instructive and an effective way to teach science concepts. Future applications of DL are recommended to in-crease students’ concept learning.

Keywords

Discovery Laboratory, Heat Transfer and Isolation, Science Teaching.