The effect of using personal response system on 6th grade students' achievement and attitudes towards science and technology

Abstract

This study examines the effect of using a personal response system (PRS) on students' academic performance and attitude towards science and technology. The study is conducted during the spring semester of the 2018-2019 academic year in a secondary school in northwestern Turkey. The study is designed as a pre-test and post-test control group design, with 21 in the control group and 23 in the experimental group. The Science Achievement Scale and the PRS Attitude Scale were administered to 92 students in the pilot study during the scale development process. The study is conducted on one unit in the course syllabus called "The World of living things and indispensable part of our lives: electricity." The researcher worked with the group two hours a week for six weeks. Every week after the lecture, the class teacher made their students solve multiple-choice questions with PRS in the experimental group and paper-based in the control group. The quantitative section of this study included three tools: the Achievement Test, the Attitude Toward Science Scale, and the Attitude Toward PRS Scale. Although results showed no difference in achievement between pre-test and post-test scores in both groups, the experimental group showed a promising difference in their attitudes toward science. In addition, boys were more positive about PRS than girls based on the PRS attitude scale. The qualitative component involved focus group discussion with a random sample of six surveyed students and an interview with the class teacher. Students provided positive feedback regarding the use of PRS. They appreciated peer discussions that instructors facilitated while using PRS. The teacher was likewise enthusiastic about implementing PRS in his class.