Delving into physical and chemical contents of the science and technology subject with peer instruction approach in the 4th grade of elementary school

With the modernization of education, active teaching methods have gained prominence. Their aim is to encourage students to engage in mental activity to learn and deepen their knowledge. One of the methods is peer learning, where the student in directed interaction with his classmates progresses in communication competence, using the knowledge he already has, and at the same time deepens and constructs it anew. The Peer instruction technique, grounded by physics professor Eric Mazur, has several steps, one of which involves a small group discussion with classmates. By using the PI technique, students can solve misconceptions in science concepts, deepen their knowledge and make it more permanent, and change their interest in learning science. The technique is mostly used in higher education, and research shows it is sensible to introduce it in primary education as well. In the master's thesis, we used the technique to determine the extent to which positive effects of the technique can be detected in students of the 4th grade of primary school. The study included students and teachers of four departments of the 4th grade of primary school, a total of 81 students and four teachers. The PI technique was used to consolidate and deepen knowledge in two sets of contents from subject science and technology, substances and their properties, electricity, and magnetism. Data on student responses before and after discussion with classmates were collected using the Plickers voting system. A late test was performed 14 days after each lesson of deepening the content. Before the first learning session, students completed a questionnaire on interest in science and technology, and at the end of the research, students and teachers gave their opinion on the technique used in the questionnaire on PI technique. Data were analysed at the level of descriptive and inferential statistics. We found that the number of correct answers after discussion with classmates was statistically significantly higher than before the discussion. The number of correct answers does not decrease even after 14 days, when we performed a late test, so the knowledge deepened and acquired with the PI technique indicates permanence. The students' grade in subject NIT is statistically related to the number of corrected answers, students with grade 5 have a higher number of correct answers, but students with grade 3 have more corrected answers, which shows greater progress in knowledge (given as the g -factor). Students' interest in science does not correlate with the level of progress, so the technique is effective for all students, regardless of their interest in science. Students have a good opinion about the PI technique, the teachers of the four departments see many advantages, and they are also aware of the complexity of preparing quality questions that affect the success of the PI technique. The used voting system Plickers is positively evaluated by both students and teachers. The findings contribute to the recognition of Peer Instruction technique as effective for science and technology lessons in the 4th grade of primary school and imply further research in the field