The effect of the smart board usage in science and technology lessons

Abstract

Statement of Problem: In this study, in teaching the unit “electricity in our lives” in the 7th grade science and technology class, the effect of using smart boards to the students’ retention of the information is examined and compared to the 2005 Science and Technology curriculum. Purpose of the study: The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of smart board use on science education. Method: For this research, two 7th grade classes were selected, one a control group and the other the experimental group, at a Secondary School in Kastamonu Province. An achievement test of 25 questions was used as a means of collecting data related to the unit. For four weeks, the control group students studied the unit according to the 2005 Science and Technology curriculum, while the experimental group studied the unit with supporting smart board activities. The achievement test, prepared to measure the equivalence of the groups in terms of knowledge, was applied as the pre-test. The same test was also applied as the post-test to measure the achievement of both groups. Finally, in order to measure how much the students recalled the learned information, the same test was applied a third time as a retention success test four weeks later. The resulting data was analysed with the SPSS 20 statistical software package, and the t-test was used in the evaluation of the data. Findings: A significant difference in favour of the experimental group was determined between the achievement of the experimental group, in which the lessons were studied using the smart board, and the control group. Furthermore, according to the results of the permanence test applied four weeks after the application, the students’ recall rate was higher among the students of the experimental group than of those in the control group. Results: The use of smart boards in teaching 7th grade secondary school students the unit “electricity in our lives” increased the students’ achievement and retention of the information learned. As a result, students in the experimental group were more successful than the control group students.