The Effect of WebQuest Teaching Strategy on Students' Critical Thinking Skills and Attitudes Towards Technology

Abstract

In this study, the effect of WebQuest teaching strategy on 6th grade students' critical thinking skills and attitudes towards technology was examined. In the study, simultaneous embedded design, one of the mixed method research designs, was used. The study was conducted in the 2022-2023 academic year with 48 (Experimental group = 23, Control group = 25) 6th grade students from a secondary school in Bursa province. "Critical Thinking Scale", "Attitude Towards Technology Scale" and "Semi-structured Interview Form" were determined as data collection tools. "Mann Whitney U test" and "Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test" were used to analyze quantitative data, while descriptive analysis and content analysis methods were used to analyze qualitative data. As a result of the research, a statistically significant difference was found between the post-test scores of the experimental group and the control group on the critical thinking and attitude towards technology scale in favor of the experimental group. In addition, it was observed that the instruction made a positive contribution to the motivation and self-confidence of the students, made them interested and enthusiastic about the science course, increased their sense of curiosity and made them like the course more.

Keywords

• critical thinking
• attitude towards technology
• webquest
• eleştirel düşünme
• teknolojiye yönelik tutum
• webquest