Asian Journal of Education and Training

The impact of activity-enriched teaching and educational games on the academic success of middle school students in astronomy courses

2025-05-08T03:34:47+00:00

This study investigates the effect of teaching enriched with astronomy activities and educational games on astronomy achievement in the 6th-grade Solar System and Eclipses unit. Fifty-seven students in the 6th grade of a secondary school in Türkiye participated in the study. Although the groups were formed randomly, since the students themselves could not be randomly distributed among the groups, a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test control groups was adopted. The experimental group used a constructivist learning approach and educational games and activities related to the astronomy course. The control group used only the constructivist learning method. While creating the astronomy achievement test as a data collection tool for the research, the achievements of the 6th-grade Solar System and Eclipses Unit were considered. Validity and reliability studies were conducted for the data collection tool, and it was concluded that the test was applicable. The experimental application revealed that including astronomy activities and educational games in science lessons increased the astronomy achievement of 6th-grade students. Based on this result, it can be said that educational games and activities used in science lessons can positively contribute to achievement.

Attitudes and motivation in teaching and learning English: A perception study at the HSC level

2025-05-08T03:44:15+00:00

This study investigates the symbiotic interplay between attitude and motivation in the context of teaching and learning English at the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) level. To delve into the impacts of attitudes and motivation on teaching and learning English, and to understand the associated issues for a solution, this mixed-methods study employed both qualitative and quantitative research approaches to corroborate the inferences and decisions. To collect data, this study surveyed 530 students and 28 teachers with structured questionnaires and interviewed 10 teachers. The data collected through stratified random sampling were analyzed using SPSS and MS Excel. This study revealed that most of the students and teachers had positive attitudes towards teaching and learning English, though some easily addressable negative attitudes were reported as well. The teachers and students had high motivation for English, with some exceptions related mainly to teachers’ job disaffection and students’ low exposure to a favorable learning environment. The findings of this study are supposed to help adopt the required policies to remove the causes of negative attitudes and low motivation for teaching and learning English effectively and substantially.

Exploring the characteristics of argumentation in secondary school students: A study of reasoning, structure, and communication skills

2025-06-21T09:24:29+00:00

This study examines the characteristics of students' arguments when they are confronted with scientific claims. A qualitative single-case study was conducted to investigate the problem. Data were collected through observations and interviews, using the convenient sampling method in a tenth-grade (n=9) class in Norway. Audio recordings captured the students while they were solving argumentation-based tasks in small groups. Interviews were also conducted with two of the students afterward. A constant comparative analysis approach was used to analyze the students' conversations, and a thematic analysis was used to analyze the interviews. The results indicated that the students used short statements to express both support and opposition to each other's arguments. Additionally, different types of content were used when students built their arguments, including ethical considerations, examples, fantasy based on their imagination, and assessments of the probability of socio-scientific issues. There were certain variations among the groups regarding group dynamics, and based on this, argumentation could be an activity that involves social risk for students. It can be said that this aspect also improved the effectiveness of the argumentation process within most groups, encouraging authentic discussions about challenging issues.