Development of Seventh Grade Students’ Learning Achievement in Science through Brain-Based Learning Activities about Heat Transfer

Abstract

The purposes of this research were 1) to develop brain-based learning activities for seventh grade students on the topic of heat transfer, 2) to compare students' scientific knowledge before and after learning, 3) to compare students’ basic science process skills before and after learning, and 4) to study students’ attitudes towards science. The sample, obtained by cluster random sampling, consisted of 34 seventh grade students from a classroom in a large secondary school located in Nakhon Pathom Province. The research instruments consisted of 1) 3 lesson plans for brain-based learning activities on the topic of heat transfer with a total duration of six hours, 2) a science knowledge test consisting of 20 multiple-choice items, each with four options, 3) a basic science process skill test with 20 multiple-choice items, and 4) a five-scaled questionnaire measuring attitudes toward science with 30 items. Data were collected during the second semester of the 2023 academic year. The data were analyzed using mean, percentage, standard deviation, and hypothesis testing with a dependent sample t-test. The results revealed that students’ scientific knowledge significantly increased after learning, at the .01 level of statistical significance. Their basic science process skills showed a statistically significant improvement at the .01 level. Students’ attitudes toward the science subject were found to be at a strongly agree level.