AN ACTION RESEARCH TO EXAMINE THE WAYS OF USING MODEL-BASED LEARNING TO ENHANCE 11th GRADE STUDENTS’ COMPETENCY TO EXPLAIN PHENOMENA SCIENTIFICALLY ON FOSSIL FUELS AND PRODUCTS

Abstract

The purposes of this action research were to examine the ways of using model-based learning (MBL) approach to enhance students’ explaining phenomena scientifically competency on fossil fuels and products and to investigate the impact of model-based learning (MBL) approach on students’ explaining phenomena scientifically competency. The targeted students were 24 people in 11th grade students from the lower part of northern science school who registered in the second semester of 2016 academic year. In the research process, the cycle of PAOR include 4 steps; 1) plan, 2) act, 3) observe, and 4) reflect. The research data were collected by using the three developed lesson plans, the reflection journals in teaching, the activity work sheets and the developed explaining phenomena scientifically competency test. The data were analyzed by using content analysis technique, which this data of each cycle was modified by adding and improvement even to obtain the perfect steps for enhancing this competency. Furthermore, the other is some basic statistics such as mean, and percentage were also used. The results show that, there were noticeable development for students’ explaining phenomena scientifically competency after the developed learning activities using model-based learning (MBL) for the three-cycle process were completed. All the learning activities were developed using the seven steps of model-based learning approach. In each steps was suggested that the teacher should emphasize on the importance of questions to stimulate students to share ideas, to get them into discussion and argumentation, and to support them in various ways during the activities. All steps of the process can improve students’ competency to explain phenomena scientifically.As a result, the students’ competency post-test average score (66.27%) was higher than that of the pre-test one (16.85%) and the students’ competency have been progressed at high level after the three round PAOR cycle respectively.