In this research, the variation of second level students’ motivations toward science learning according to the factors as gender, class, socio-economic (education and income of mother, father) levels, success in science-technology course and science-technology course score were analyzed. As the result of the research had shown us, total points of the second level primary education students, which were taken from the REAL and IDEAL version of the scale, were different from each other. We concluded that the total points of two versions were meaningful in terms of gender and this difference was in favor of the female students. These findings are parallel to the results of many studies in the literature (Akpınar et al., 2013; Britner & Pajares, 2001; Güvercin et al., 2010; Pintrich & Zusho, 2002; Yaman & Dede, 2007). As one examines the results of the related studies, it could be concluded that there are differences between the veridicality (REAL) of motivations toward science learning and how they should be (IDEAL). This difference is directly proportional with the learning experience, which was in the mind of the students. Therefore, the motivations of the students in the science course in reality are away from the science courses in their minds. To prevent this event and to reach profiles of high motivational-students, one needs to adapt either the learning experience in the class or the learning experience out of the class to the conditions in the minds of the students. Most frequently, science classes do not fit to students’ expectations. Students are not always satisfied about science lessons. However, teachers get an important aid when they compare the expectations of the students with their real life perceptions (Bolte, 2012).

The differences between the genders in the science learning studies would exist generally in the choice of science courses, career plans in science and success in science. Consequently, these differences would be concluded with different results in the point of driving students to science learning (Velayutham et al., 2012). For this study, there could be many reasons for the motivations of female students toward science learning became in higher levels from the levels of male students. Some of these were: female students’ participated in lessons more than the male students, interests of the male students in the technical aspect of the science courses were more than the female and so passing over the other aspects of the course and the interests and curiosities of female students in the course were higher than the male. In the results of ROSE (Relevance of Science Education), which was an international research, it was stated that the male students were interested in the technical, mechanical and electrical fields of the science course and that the female students mainly focused on the health, human body, aesthetic field of the science course (ROSE, 2010). In this context, research team of ROSE suggested that the gender differences regarding interest and motivation should be taken into consideration in science learning. Lightbody, Sienn, Stocks, & Walsh (1996) confirmed in their studies that female students revealed their determination and effort in learning environment by their persistent behaviors in the explanation of their studies. To explain the difference of the motivational levels of science learning according to genders, we need to reach a general judgment by associating what the motivation means and what are the conditions that affect the motivation with the daily life. Factors as teacher efficiency, contact between teacher-student, concrete present (getting good scores, receiving a present); teaching techniques and methods affect the direction of motivational change (Yenice et al., 2012). Whereas a small gift can increase the motivation of the students, this gift can also be ineffective for another student. This case is related with the type of the motivation of the student.

Another result of the research was that the higher the grade level was, the lower the motivation of students toward science learning was. There are studies parallel to this result in the literature (Akpınar et al., 2013; Freedman-Doan, Wigfield, Eccles, Blumenfeld, Arbreton, & Harold, 2000; Güngören, 2009; Güvercin et al., 2010; Yenice et al., 2012). The reason of this could be that the students became more excited and shifted their interests towards different directions because of being in the adolescence period from the 6^th grade to the 8^th grade. In fact, this was not an expected result. Because, the most important characteristic of the students with high motivation is, being diligent, willing, interested, curious and persistent in learning (Wolters & Rosenthal, 2000). So, when we considered that the difficulty of the 8^th grade students in adapting to extrinsic factors was lower compared to the 6^th and 7^th grade students, the motivations of 8^th grade students towards the course should be higher. However, many studies performed in this field observed that the higher the grade level was, the lower the motivation was. For example, Güvercin et al., (2010) fond out in their studies that, 6^th and 8^th grade students’ motivations toward science learning decreased more and more as the grade level was increased. This result was not a surprise according to the results of the other studies and the condition in Turkey. Furthermore, it was possible to come across the similar results in the analyses carried out towards the sub-levels of the motivation. For example Güngören (2009) stated in his study that, self-efficiency and interest in science of 6^th grade students were higher than the students of the other levels (7^th and 8^th grade). Şenler & Sungur (2009) stated that the variables of self-efficiency and duty concerning science of 4^th and 5^th grade students were higher than those of 6^th-7^th-8^th grade students. Increasing the difficulty level of topics in science and mathematics in upper classes, would cause the abstract concepts to gain weight and boost of the preparations for the central exams were shown to be the reason for this situation (Yaman & Dede, 2007).

The accuracy of this explanation is thought to be acceptable, but insufficient. The motivation is a multidimensional concept. So, in the analysis of this concept, several factors that affect the individual in the learning environment should be taken into consideration. Thousands of students start the elementary school willingly, in a positive attitude and with high motivation. However, this situation makes us consider that they are more optimistic at small ages. However, as the grade level increases, failures in their confidences and skills will be formed. Hence, they would become motivated negatively (Freedman-Doan et al., 2000). For this reason, studying on the motivations of the students in science learning in every grade level as it is in all other fields is crucial.

The explanations given above mainly exposed the importance of learning-teaching environment in increasing students’ motivations toward science learning. Another factor which is effective on students’ motivation is the socio-economic status of students. Education level of parents, level of income and place of registry could be accepted among the components of socio-economic status of the students. In this study, students’ motivations toward science learning were investigated in terms of education level of parents and level of income. When the results of the study were analyzed, one observes that the most of the students’ mothers were “high school” graduate (Table 4), whereas their fathers had an undergraduate degree (Table 5). These values were distributed similarly in every grade level. On the other hand, although the level of income of most of the 6^th grade students was (1500-2000 TL), level of income of most of 7^th and 8^th grade students was higher than 2500 TL (Table 6). This result was an indicator showing that the higher the grade level is, the higher the level of income is. On the other hand, the motivation scores of students in terms of socio-economic levels were different and average motivation scores that students got from the IDEAL version of the scale were higher than the scores they got from the REAL version of the scale. [X_ideal=60.27, X_real=58.95]. So we can conclude that the level of education and incomes of students’ parents directly affect their motivations toward science learning. This means that, motivation of students toward science learning is affected by both socio-economic status of parents and their expectations in the motivational learning environments. Ideal motivational learning environments in the minds of the students are far from the environments in reality. So, students’ expectations in this way are high. Along with this information, when the results of total motivation scores for science learning according to differences in socio-economic levels were investigated, the total scores from both version of the scale differed meaningfully on the socio-economic level. According to this, motivation toward science learning of students whose mothers were literate (2) and primary school graduate (3) and whose fathers were primary school graduate (3) and secondary school graduate (4) was lower when it was compared to the other learning levels. These findings revealed that the students’ motivations are affected by the education level of parents. Low motivations of the students whose parents’ level of education was low call to mind that this could affect success of the students in the courses negatively. On the other hand, the total motivation scores of the students with the level of income between 1000-1500 TL (2) and 1500-2000 TL (3) were lower in the both versions of the scale compared to the other levels of income (Table 7). This value was a general result of the sample and also evidence showing that their level of income was associated with their level of motivation. When the effect of the income grade level variables on the motivation toward science learning was investigated, we saw that the average of total motivation scores [X_real=63.73, X_ideal=66.35] of 6^th grade students (31.8%) with midlevel of income (1500-2000 TL) for science learning was higher than the average of total motivation scores of 7^th and 8^th grade students (30.4%, 33.6%) with high level of income (>2500 TL) (Table 2, Table 3 and Table 6). So that the level of motivation of students with high level of income towards the course was low and this especially affected the motivations of 8^th grade students. As one checks the literature, it was seen that there is no study investigating the relationship between the motivation toward science learning of second level students of primary education and their socio-economic level. However, Üredi & Erden (2009) have studies in this subject with the 8^th grade students of primary school belonging to medium socio-economic status. They have studies concerning how the attitudes of parents predict the self-regulation strategies and motivational beliefs of the students similar to the variable of mother-father education level. They ascertain that attitudes of parents perceived by students have the effect in the motivational beliefs other than their exam anxiety. On this point, Gonzalez-DeHass, Willems, & Horbein (2005) stated that parents had a significant role in increasing the motivations of the students and so the success of the students who were supported by their families was higher. In the light of these explanations, we can deduce that the level of education and income of parents as well as the attitudes of them are effective in the change of their motivations and so in their success.

The motivation that is qualified as a motive power undergoes change with respect to the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors (Hilker, 1993). To enable these factors to work in accord with each other, it is significant to know the source of the conditions, events that form the behavior of students. Along with the educational level of parents, some motive powers based on many extrinsic factors such as, their interests and attitudes towards their children, buying something they want to get (award) should be available in this point. It is possible to come across a profile of student whose school life is productive and who is successful in his/her lessons with high motivation s/he raises in such an environment.

Participation of the individual voluntarily in a certain activity without getting any award (note, money, gift) and the intuitive motivation which reflects his/her pleasure in the work s/he does is an effective factor in learning (Hilker, 1993). According to Jacobsen, Eggen & Kauchak (2002) the intuitive motivation which is created by the interest and expectation of the student shows more efficient performance in getting through a problem/work when compared to the extrinsic motivation and students with intuitive motivation show higher performance. Students who are intuitive-motivated toward science learning (with high feeling of success in science) can be very successful without being extrinsic-motivated (getting high scores in science course) (Yenice et al., 2012). In this study, the question “how is your success in science-technology course when you are compared to your classmates?” that took place in the personal information form of the scale, was asked to the second level students of primary education. In this question, we aimed to reveal the intuitive motivation status of students in the course. The answers of the students were; “I am successful (high success), I am not too successful or too unsuccessful (midlevel of success), I am less successful then my classmates (low success). In this context, their feeling of success in science-technology course (intuitive motivation) was compared with the last exam score they got in the course (extrinsic motivation) (Table 8). When the results were analyzed on the basis of percentages which represent most of the sample, the sample was revealed to be;

1. 12.1% of them considered to be high successful and the last exam score of this sample was between “85-100” ,
2. 16.7%+16.5%=33.2% of them with close distribution considered to have midlevel of success and the last exam score of this sample was between “70-84” and “85-100” ,
3. 7.1% considered having low success and the last exam score of this sample was between “45-54”.

These results reinforce the possibility that students being intuitive motivated in different levels are associated with the science-technology course score, students who consider themselves as being much successful come to the learning environment as being already motivated, which is predicated on their early life and that these students do not need any concrete award such as getting high scores in science-technology course. On the other hand, low course scores of the students who considered themselves to have low success in the course showed that these students need to be supported with some concrete awards to enable their motivations in the course to increase. Lastly, there were meaningful differences between the motivation scores of students in science learning in terms of success in science-technology course and science-technology course score and that total motivation scores students got from the IDEAL version of the scale were higher than those they got from the REAL version of the scale [X_real=58.95, X_ideal=60.27]. This result could be evaluated positively for the students who considered themselves as not successful enough in the course and whose course score was low. Because, there might be so many reasons for this group of low-motivated students to have different expectations about science learning in their imagination compared to real life. These are the practice in the course, lack of interest and curiosity, lack of associations with daily life, intuitive and extrinsic factors. On the other hand, this result can be evaluated positively for the high-motivated students towards the course. Because their actual level of motivation toward science learning is in the required level. The ideal learning life being higher than the values in real life indicates that they are motivated enough in the course. Along with this information, when the results of differences of motivation scores in science learning in terms of success in science-technology course and science-technology course score, the scores students got in both versions of the scale were in favor of the students with who were “much successful” and whose exam scores were between “85-100”. It was not a surprise to observe that science-technology course score of students who were intuitively motivated was high. In this context, we can conclude that students who are high motivated in the learning environment are more willing in the in-class, out-of-class activities, perform higher participation and are more diligent in learning when compared to the students with low level of motivation. In the context of results of the research, suggestions for future researches are presented below:

1. This research is a quantitative research, which is intended to determine the change of the motivations toward science learning of second level students of primary education in terms of various factors. So, another quantitative research concerning some other factors affecting students’ motivations toward science learning could also be carried out.
2. This research was carried out with the second level students of primary education. In another research, motivation levels of students who attend other grades of education (high school, undergraduate, graduate) in the field of physics, chemistry and biology could be investigated.
3. The effect of second level students’ motivation toward science learning in the attitude toward science course and success in science course could be investigated.