The effects of storylines embedded within the context-based approach on grade 10 student conceptions of the change of states

This purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of the context-based approach on grade 10 students' understandings and alternative conceptions of the concepts of change of states. Within a quasi-experimental design, the study was conducted with conducted with 43 10th grade students drawn from two intact classes in a high school on the north coast of Black Sea Region in Turkey. One of classes was randomly assigned to experimental group and the other to control group. The experimental group was exposed to the context-based materials, while the control group was taught with the traditional approach (teacher's explanation, question and answer, writing, etc.). The Change of States Achievement Test (CSAT) was used to collect data. The results of this study indicated that the use of storylines embedded within the context-based approach resulted in the students in the experimental group performing better with respect to understanding concepts of the change of states. Some suggestions are made on implications for practice and learning.