The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of an activity set developed according to the inquiry-based learning (IBL) approach in the unit "Particulate Structure of Matter" on students' critical-thinking skills in science and technology courses. The study was conducted with 90 students from the 6 th grade attending four, 6 th grade secondary school classes. Within the framework of the study, in order to evaluate the effects of IBL approach on the students' critical-thinking skills in science and technology courses, the guided activity set was developed by the researchers in line with the IBL approach. In this study, pretest and posttest control group experimental designs were applied. The findings of the study revealed that science and technology learning supported with the guided activities developed in line with the IBL approach have significant effects on students' critical-thinking skills in science and technology courses.

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The purpose of this study is to determine the perceptions of preschool children on environmental pollution. A qualitative research method was employed in the current research. The data of the study were collected by semi-structured interview and drawing techniques and the obtained data were analyzed with a descriptive analysis method. The sample consisted of 67 children between 3 and 6 years of age, attending the kindergarten of different schools located in Giresun city center. It was observed that the 3-year-old group emphasized germs and 4 and 6-year old groups emphasized air and sea pollution. When asked about the prevention of environmental pollution, the younger age groups generally stated as "we should throw the garbage into the trashcan", and the group of 6-year-olds stated as "we should not cut the trees". In terms of information sources, the 3year-old group usually stated their mother, while the groups of 4, 5, and 6-yearolds stated both their mothers and fathers. The children had difficulty in expressing the factors that cause air pollution verbally in the interviews, but in their drawings, they were able to reveal their air pollution perceptions more easily and concretely.

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