Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine and compare the effect of teaching the brightness of lamps, which is a topic for grade 11 physics lesson, on student achievement and attitude according to the 5E model belonging to the constructivist learning theory and the traditional teaching method. The research was conducted on 62 11th grade students in Ä°dil High School during the spring semester of 2009/2010 academic year. The quasi-experimental method was used in the research and the significance level was p=0.05. A meaningful difference(p<0.05) was observed on the experimental group according to the results of the independent samples t-test related to the post-test scores of brightness of lamps  Achievement Test(BLAT)” of the students in the experimental and control groups.  It was concluded that the worksheets applied, cartoons, animation and laboratory activities used while teaching the topic “brightness of lamps ” according to the 5E model provided better understanding for the students, increased the motivation related to the lesson, and created a positive effect on understanding abstract concepts. The results of the attitude scale showed that the differences between the groups were insignificant (p>0.05).

Key words: 5E model, constructivist learning, electric, attitude.