US-China Education Review B, March 2017, Vol. 7, No. 3, 115-125 doi: 10.17265/2161-6248/2017.03.001 D DAVID PUBLISHING A Research on the Cognitive Structure of Middle School Students Regarding Concepts of Nature and Environment Mustafa Kahyaoğlu, Muzaffer Çatak Siirt University, Siirt, Turkey The purpose of this study is to reveal the cognitive structure of middle school students regarding concepts of nature and environment. In this study, phenomenological pattern, a form of qualitative research was used. The study group comprised 137 middle school students, who were studying in schools located in Siirt City in Turkey that are part of the provincial directorate of national education during the Fall Semester of the 2015-2016 academic year. In this study, the Word Association Test was used as the data collection tool. In this Word Association Test, middle school students were given two key concepts—nature and environment. They were asked to write down words that came to mind and that they associated with these concepts, and to use them to make a sentence in a given time. In the analysis of the data obtained, a frequency table was used, composed of the responses that related to the key concepts of nature and environment. Additionally, in accordance with data received, a concept network was formed to establish the students’ cognitive structure related to concepts of nature and environment. According to the study findings, middle school students were not able to sufficiently relate to concepts of nature and environment in their cognitive structures and their minds showed some disconnections. Keywords: nature, environment, cognitive structure, word association test, middle school students Introduction Concepts of nature and environment are classified in broad terms that are complex and difficult to comprehend, ranging from ecology to economy, geography to philosophy, sociology to psychology, and social to political sciences. According to the Turkish Language Association (TDK) (2016), a concept was a general term covering the common aspects of objects or events and combining them under a common name. Çepni (2008), on the other hand, defined concepts as the common name for objects and ideas that shared similar characteristics and other phenomena that exhibited a specific behavior. Senemoğlu (2010) defined concepts as categories that classified events, objects, and states, while Kaptan (1999) suggested that concepts were abstract thinking units. In accordance with the constructivist theory, it is the relationship among concepts that form scientific principles. Starting from childhood, individuals begin to learn concepts that are the units of thoughts and the words that are used to name them, and explore their relationship by classifying them. In this way, people attribute meaning to what they already know, they organize these new meanings, and even produce new concepts and new information. The learning and restructuring process in the human mind continues uninterruptedly in all age groups (Ministry of National Education [MNE], 2005, p. 80). Constructivist theory Mustafa Kahyaoğlu, Dr., associate professor, Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology, Siirt University. Muzaffer Çatak, Dr., assistant professor, Department of Elementary Education, Siirt University. 116 COGNITIVE STRUCTURE OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS REGARDING CONCEPTS also suggests that concepts are the essential building blocks of an individual’s cognitive structure. According to this theory, it is not important to memorize information but to re-structure, interpret, and put into practice information, in the light of previous knowledge and experience. According to Kaptan (1999), concepts diminished the complexity related to the expression of problems related to the environment we lived in, facilitated communication among people and enabled the systematic grouping of information. For this reason, the teaching of concepts requires more than merely clarifying information. In order to ensure students learn accurate, meaningful, and interrelated concepts, it is important to take their cognitive structures into consideration. One of the aims of education is to ensure that students learn the concepts meaningfully by encouraging them to use these concepts in their daily life and in accordance with their own needs without memorizing them. Literature Review The TDK (2016) defined nature as an environment that had not undergone any major changes by human hands and remained in a natural state. On the other hand, the concept of environment is defined as the entirety of the living and non-living creatures that affect the milieu where the concept itself exists in lives, the all forces, and conditions. In other words, environment is defined as the totality of all physical, chemical, and biological factors that have an effect on the lives of all living things in a certain milieu (Yücel, 2006). According to this, environment encompasses all factors affecting the biological nature of living things. The concept of nature, on the other hand, is defined as an open system without definite borders, which shows a variety in terms of living and non-living things that affects and is affected by others. It is changing and changeable, possessing, renewable, and re-constructable characteristics formed without the influence of mankind, which can continue without the presence of human beings, has its own mechanisms and rules and that covers a variety of elements, facts, beings, relationships, interactions, and processes (Atasoy, 2005). While concepts of nature and environment are perceived to be similar, they are in fact concepts with different meanings, in terms of content and scope. At this stage, it is important to establish the cognitive structures of students related to these concepts. For example, we have a series of thoughts related to nature. When we hear the word “nature,” we can think about both narrow concepts, such as “trees” and “forests,” etc., and broad concepts, such as “the laws of nature,” “the diversity of nature,” etc.. Cognitive structure is defined as the mental schema and framework that organize and maintain the elements that constitute the knowledge during any learning process (Uçak & Güzeldere, 2006). It has played an important role in determining and learning the relationship between different kinds of information. In the literature review on concepts of nature and environment, Atasoy (2005) investigated elementary school students’ attitudes towards the environment and their knowledge about the environment. Berberoğlu (2015) observed the effect of ecopedagogic-based extramural education on environmental awareness. Deniş and Akar (2015) and Kahyaoğlu (2015) investigated using nature related perceptions through metaphors on middle school and elementary school students, respectively. Erdoğan (2011) examined the impact of nature education on the sensory tendencies of elementary school students, towards the environment and responsible behavior, using an ecology-based program. Güler (2009) observed the nature related opinions of teachers, who participated in ecology-based environmental training. Furthermore, the study by Kahyaoğlu and Yetişir (2015) observed the perceptions of teachers, regarding nature and students growing apart from nature. Kıyıcı, Yiğit, and Darçin (2014) explored the impact of nature education on the rate of change in prospective teachers’ environmental literacy. Köşker (2013) and Kutru and Soran (2012) investigated the nature related perceptions COGNITIVE STRUCTURE OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS REGARDING CONCEPTS 117 of prospective teachers and university students, respectively. Özdemir (2010) observed the effect of environmental education of primary school students, based on their experiences of nature, perception, and behavior related to nature. Altunoğlu and Atav (2009) explored the environmental risk perceptions of middle school students, while Demirbaş and Pektaş (2009) examined the level of primary school students’ realization of the basic concepts related to environmental problems. When they reviewed the literature on the cognitive structures related to this field on students in Turkey, Bahar and Özatlı (2003) examined high school students’ cognitive structures on the essential components of living things. In Ercan, Taşdere, and Ercan’s (2010) study, they examined 7th grade elementary school students’ cognitive structures related to the solar system and space. In Kurt’s (2013) study with prospective biology teachers, he explored their cognitive structures regarding enzymes. In another study by Kurt and Ekici (2013), they examined the cognitive structures of prospective biology teachers related to virus concepts. Polat (2013) investigated the cognitive structures of middle school students on the concept of environment. In their study, Dinçol-Özgür and Yılmaz (2013) analyzed the cognitive structures of prospective chemistry teachers’ on their environment related approaches. In a study with middle school students, ranging from 12-14 years old, Özata-Yücel and Özkan (2015) observed the students’ cognitive structures related to ecological concepts. Önel and Yüce (2016) examined prospective science teachers’ cognitive structures relating to evolution. Atabek-Yiğit, Yılmaz, and Çetin (2016) analyzed the cognitive structures of prospective class teachers related to certain basic science concepts. Kaya and Akış (2015) explored the cognitive structures of geography students’ relating to the concept of air. However, there were insufficient studies
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