The comparison of effectiveness of synectics and experiment-based approaches in teaching the concept of temperature

Document Type : Original research

Authors

1 Department of Chemistry Education, Farhangian University, P.O. Box 14665-889, Tehran, Iran

2 Chemistry Teacher, The Education Department of District 3 Ahvaz, Khoozestan, Iran

3 Chemistry Teacher, The Education Department of Genaveh, Booshehr, Iran

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Identifying effective teaching approaches tailored to specific scientific concepts helps educators gain a deeper understanding of students' learning processes. The aim of the present study is to compare the impact of synectics and experiment-based approaches on students' learning of the concept of temperature, and to develop an instructional design model based on these two approaches. Methods: This quantitative, quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test design and one control group and two experimental groups aimed to investigate the impact of divergent thinking and experiment-based approaches on students' learning of the temperature concept. The population comprised all female middle school students in Isfahan, Iran, during the academic year 2023-2024. An 82-student sample was selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. The synectics approach employed description, direct and personal analogies, and compressed and repeated conflict patterns, whereas the experiment-based approach utilized preparation, activity, and conclusion patterns. To assess the students' learning, a researcher-made test was used, the reliability and validity of which were confirmed by the Kuder-Richardson method and a panel of experts, respectively. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, univariate covariance analysis, and Tukey test. Findings: The results demonstrated the effectiveness of both synectics and experiment-based approaches in enhancing students' learning of the temperature concept. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, the scores of the group instructed using a synectics approach were higher in the sub-concepts of thermometric quantities and heat capacity compared to the scores of the group instructed using an experiment-based approach. Conversely, in the remaining sub-concepts, the scores of the group instructed with the experiment-based approach were higher. It is expected that, by identifying more effective teaching methods, the findings of this study, will contribute to improving the quality of chemistry education and learning in this field.

Keywords

References

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