Examination of the Effect of the GEMS Program on Problem Solving and Science Process Skills of 6 Years Old Children

Year 2018, Volume: 7 Issue: 3, 567 - 581, 15.07.2018

Merve Unal , Mehmet Saglam

https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.7.3.567

Abstract

The
aim of this study is to determine the problem solving skills and science
process skills of six year-old children who attended kindergarten and whether
or not there is a difference in problem solving skills and science process
skills of children receiving and not receiving the education with GEMS program.
In the study using the experimental model with pre-test, post-test and control
group, the sample group consisted of a total of 25 children including 11
children in experimental group and 14 children in control group who attended
the preschool education. The “GEMS Program” was applied throughout a school
year after applying pre-test to the children in the experimental group. In the scope
of the study, “General Information Form” to obtain the data about the children
and their families, “Parental Evaluation Form” including the evaluation of the
parents about their children, “Problem Solving Scale in Science Education
(PSSSE)” to determine the problem solving skills of the children and “Science
Processes Observation Form (SPOF)” to measure the science process skills of the
children were used. According to the results of the study, while a
statistically significant difference was observed between the Problem Solving
Scale in Science Education mean scores of the children in the experimental
group who participated in the GEMS Education Program and of the children in
control group, no statistically significant difference was observed between the
mean scores obtained by the children in the experimental group from Science
Processes Observation Form and the mean scores of the children in the control
group.

Keywords

GEMS, problem solving, problem solving scale, science process skills, preschool years

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