CUKUROVA UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION JOURNAL, cilt.51, sa.2, ss.1128-1171, 2022 (ESCI)
Chemistry is a discipline that is conceptually difficult to understand due to the number of abstract concepts it contains. Therefore, understanding abstract concepts is one of the most crucial steps in the process of learning chemistry. The present study aimed to explore the effect of application of cooperative learning through animations, models (play dough and stick-ball), and seven principles (seven principles for good practice to improve the quality of undergraduate education) on the conceptual understanding of chemistry. The sample of the study consisted of 91 first-year pre-service science teachers enrolled in a teacher education program in Turkey. A quasi-experimental design with non-equivalent pretest-posttest comparison groups was used in the study. The students were assigned into four groups. The applications included cooperative learning in the first group, cooperative learning and seven principles in the second group, cooperative learning and animation in the third group, and cooperative learning and models in the fourth group. Four Module Tests were used for data collection. In order to explore the effects of applied methods and techniques on conceptual understanding, Module Tests were applied as both pretest and posttest. The results of the study showed that applying cooperative learning with the seven principles and cooperative learning with models has a greater impact on the conceptual understanding of chemistry compared to other applications.