İlköğretim İkinci kademe öğrencilerinin fen ve teknoloji dersi öz-düzenlemeli öğrenme stratejilerinin incelenmesii

Learning involves using self-regulation processes (Azevedo, 2009). "Self-regulation is individual s affecting, guiding and controlling his behavior‖ (Senemoğlu, 2004:231). Although there are studies indicating the effects of self-regulation on achievement, there isa complexity between the relation of the quality, basic components, and some other fields withother structures (Zeidner, Boekaerts, Pintrich, 2005). This study assumes that self-regulatorylearning strategies have three dimensions which are cognitive strategies, metacognitivestrategies, and resource management strategies. Cognitive strategies are rehearsal, elaboration,and organizational strategies. Metacognitive strategies are divided into two categories. One ofthem is knowledge of the cognition and the other is regulation of cognition. Resourcemanagement strategies are time management strategies, environmental structuring strategiesand help seeking strategies.According to Pintrich (2005) in self-regulation studies individual characteristics should also beconsidered. One of the individual characteristics in educational research is the gender. Another individual variable is age. According to Zeidner, Boekaerts and Pintrich (2005) the variation ofself-regulation by age should be studied. In this study the variable of grade level was used tocover the variables of gender and age.The aim of the study is to "investigate self-regulating learning strategies employed by middle school learners in science and technology course‖. Research questions are aimed to examine strategy use in item and dimension level with regard to gender and grade level.In this study, the survey method was used. The data were gathered from 1286 volunteered students. 404 of them were 6th grade (191 female, 213 male), 426 of them were 7th grade (200 female, 226 male), and 456 of them were 8th grade students (216 female, 240 male). The datacollecting tool was ―Scale of self-regulatory learning strategies in Science and Technology Classes‖ which was developed by the researchers. As the result of exploratory factor analysis, itwas found that two items written for assessing graphic organizers formed a dimension explaining 3.66 % of total variance and this dimension was named Graphic Organizing Strategies. The confirmatory factor analysis of Knowledge and Cognition and Regulating Knowledge did not provide two different sub-dimensions. The two groups were grouped under one single dimension. SPSS 17.0 was used for exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis. AMOS 16.0 was used for confirmatory factor analysis. The construct validity and reliability of scales and sub-dimensions were analysed in both scale development sample and research samples. In scale-development sample reliability coefficients varied between .63 and .93, where the coefficients varied between .62 and .93 in research sample. The coefficients values greater than .60 are viewed as acceptable (Özdamar, 2004).To answer research questions arithmetical mean, and standard deviation were calculated and independent samples t test, one way analysis of variance, Scheffé tests were used. To determine the effect size eta-squared was calculated. Pallant (2003) states that if η2 is between .01 and .05 the effect size is low, .06 and .13 indicates moderate and the value which is greater than .14 indicates a high effect. All factors in the scale do not have equal number of items. Hence, the total means of dimensions were divided by the item numbers. The dimensions with the highest means are Knowledge of Cognition ( X =2.63) and Regulating of Cognition (X=2.63). Açıkgöz (2007a: 109) states that ―having knowledge on learning and thinking processes facilitates controlling the process‖. The findings of the study are parallel with this conclusion.The least frequently used strategies are Cognitive Learning Strategies ( X =2.42). When the dimensions of sub-scales are analysed, it was observed that the least frequently used strategies in Cognitive Learning Strategies are Graphic Organizing Strategies ( X =1.78). The least frequently used strategy in this dimension is Concept Mapping. Concept maps are graphic organizing tools indicating relations between concepts and the links between concepts at the same level (Cunningham and Turgut, 1996). Employing these strategies less frequently may hinder the effectiveness of concept learning (Altınok, 2004). The findings of the study are negative in this sense. The effect of gender on strategy use was generally statistically significant. Means of female subjects were higher than male subjects in Organizing strategies, rehearsal strategies, elaboration strategies, and overall Cognitive Learning Strategies Inventory. Furthermore the findings were the same in Knowledge of Cognition, Regulating Cognition, help seeking strategies, environmental structuring strategies, overall Resource Management Strategies and in general. However, the effect size of the difference was low. There was no statistically significant difference in Graphic Organizing Strategies and Time Management Strategies. These dimensions also indicated a low strategy employment.When the relationship between grade level and strategy employment is investigated, the findings indicated that there were significant differences in all dimensions and in general. Scheffé test indicates that 6th grade students employ strategies more frequently 7th and 8th grades. Furthermore 7th grade students employ strategies more frequently than 8th grade students. The effect size is low in Organizing, Graphic Organizing, Knowledge of Cognition, Time Management, help seeking strategies and environmental structuring strategies. The effectsize is moderate in other dimensions. To summarize, strategy employment decrease as the grade level increases. Kılıç Çakmak et. al. (2008) state t