The Effects of a Laboratory Approaches on the Development of University Students\u27 Science Process Skills and Conceptual Achievement

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects a laboratory based on the 7E learning cycle model with verification laboratory approach on university students’ development of science process skills and conceptual achievement. In this study the sample consisted of 81 freshman university students who were taking the General Physics Laboratory-I- course at the university in Türkiye. In this study pretest-posttest design with control group was used. The night class students (43) who took lower weighted standard points from university entrance exam (UEE) than day class students were selected as experimental group. Day class students (38) were selected as control group. Thus, this study was quasi-experimental in design. In order to assess hypotheses of study was used “Science Process Skills Test-SPST” and “Force Concept Inventory -FCI” to compare skills and conceptual achievement of control and experimental groups students. Both tools were given to both groups as pretest and posttest. Results of the analyses showed that there was a significant difference between the effect of verification laboratory approach and the laboratory approach based on 7E learning cycle model on development of students’ science process skills and conceptual achievement. The findings of study suggest that the the laboratory approach based on 7E learning cycle model applications are more effective than the traditional verification laboratory approach applications to development of students’ science process skills and remedy students’ misconceptions about force and motio