Effectiveness of learning with the help of natural science textbook in 7th grade of primary school

Učiteljem v osnovnih šolah po Sloveniji je na voljo kar nekaj učbenikov, ki jih lahko uporabijo za poučevanje. Za izdelavo katerega koli učbenika je potrebna ogromna količina dela, načrtovanja in oblikovanja, še posebej pa to velja za učbenike naravoslovnih predmetov. Učno gradivo mora biti oblikovano tako, da vodi učenca pri kognitivnem procesiranju informacij, predstavljenem v učnem gradivu, pri čemer njegova zmogljivost delovnega spomina ne sme biti presežena. Znanost je dandanes v porastu, zato je pomembno, da učencem približamo te dokaj abstraktne tematike, saj s tem ne pomagamo le njim, temveč tudi celotni človeški skupnosti. S tem namenom sem se odločil pridobiti boljši vpogled v način učenčevega branja učbenika in iz tega morda povleči kak nasvet, ki bi bil lahko avtorjem, urednikom in oblikovalcem učbenikov v pomoč pri nastanku novih učnih gradiv. Cilja diplomskega dela sta opredeliti učinkovitost učnega gradiva za doseganje učnih ciljev s področja embrionalnega in postembrionalnega razvoja pri predmetu naravoslovje v 7. razredu osnovne šole ter analizirati del učnega gradiva, pri katerem so imeli sedmošolci (N=50) največ težav z razumevanjem. Pri raziskavi sem uporabil tehnologijo očesnega sledenja, vprašalnik o oceni predznanja in preizkus znanja. Analiza rezultatov vprašalnika o sporočilu učnega gradiva in preizkusa znanja o vsebini gradiva je pokazala, da so učenci usvojili največ znanja o nepopolni in popolni preobrazbi živali. Vsebina je bila predstavljena z besedilom in z vsebinsko komplementarnim slikovnim gradivom, kar nakazuje na pomembnost večpredstavnosti učbeniškega gradiva. S pomočjo očesnega sledilca je bil analiziran del besedila, ki je učencem povzročal največje težave pri razumevanju, in sicer diagram s spremnim besedilom o diferenciaciji zarodnih celic. Analiza je pokazala, da učenci diagrama in spremnega besedila ne dojemajo kot povezano vsebinsko celoto in ju med seboj ne integrirajo.Teachers in elementary schools around Slovenia have a number of textbooks that can be used for teaching. The creation of any textbook requires an enormous amount of work, planning and designing, and that is especially true for textbooks of natural science subjects. Learning material must be designed to guide the pupil in the cognitive processing of information presented in the learning material, whereby the capacity of the working memory must not be exceeded. Science is on the rise nowadays, so it is important for students to approach these rather abstract themes, as this does not only help them, but also the entire human community. For this purpose, I decided to gain a better insight into the pupils reading of the textbook, and maybe find some advice that could help authors, editors, and textbook designers help with the creation of new learning materials. The aim of my diploma is to define the effectiveness of learning materials in achieving the learning goals in the field of embryonic and post-embryonic development in the subject of natural science in the 7th grade of the elementary school, as well as to analyze the part of the teaching material in which the seven year olds (N = 50) had the greatest problems with the understanding of said material. In my research, I used eye tracking technology, a preliminary assessment and knowledge test questionnaire. The analysis of the results of the questionnaire on the communication of learning material and the test on the content of the material revealed that the pupils had acquired the most knowledge of the incomplete and complete transformation of animals. The content was presented with both text and complementary image material, which points to the importance of the multimedia content of the textbooks. Using the eye tracker, a part of the text was analyzed, which caused the students the greatest difficulty in understanding, namely the diagram with the accompanying text on the differentiation of the stem cells. The analysis showed that the pupils do not connect the diagram and the acompanying text – they do not perceive them as a connected content entity