The effects of using diorama on 7th grade students’ academic achievement and science learning skills

In this experimental study, dioramas were used in the experimental group while teaching the "human and environmental associations" unit. The results demonstrated that there were statistically significant differences in favour of the experimental group. This result shows that the use of dioramas for six week during teaching activities for “human and environmental associations” help students to enhance their academic achievement. Similarly, the control group students also exhibited progress for the same topic while being taught through traditional teacher centred teaching method. This is due to the fact any teaching method can contribute to students’ learning experiences while the level of enhancement shows divergence from one method to the other. The study also revealed that students in the experimental group where they were taught through dioramas scored higher in comparison to the control group students who were taught by traditional method in the post test for academic achievement. When the related literature is examined, it is seen that the use of visual teaching materials for instruction in the classroom environment affects the success of the students positively by increasing in levels of learning and retention (Can, 2009; Ciftçi, 2002; Dursun, 2006: Sahin, 2000; Sönmez, 2006). More recent studies have pointed to the role of dioramas in providing learning environments that are close to the truth and their instructional potential in biology education (Ash, 2004; Piqueras, Hamsa, & Edvall, 2008; Reiss & Tunnicliffe, 2007; Scheersoi, 2009; Tunnicliffe, 2005). Particularly, the use of dioramas in teaching the ecosystem supports academic success. Because, with the help of dioramas, students are able to see different forms of plants and animals living in the ecosystem. Also, they are able to see the relation of living things in the ecosystem to their own species and to different species. Thus, students can compare the existing knowledge with the new knowledge and reconstruct the new knowledge in his mind through the interaction with the dioramas (Mifsud & Tunnicliffe, 2013). Scheersoi and Tunnicliffe (2009) emphasize in their studies that students visiting the dioramas museums are more effective in defining biological species. Reiss & Tunnicliffe (2011) states that dioramas have contributed significantly to students' understanding of biology as well as their comprehension of biological constructs, interpretation of taxonomic structure, and description of species’ behaviour. Specially, helps pupils identify relationships between organisms such as hunting-hunter, social group, mutual life. Similarly, Marandino, Dias Oliveira and Achiam (2009) point to the impact of dioramas on the teaching of biodiversity. In their study, with the help of dioramas, students were able to identify plants, animals, fungi species with their habitat, fauna, flora, soil type and rock form.

There was no significant difference between the test scores of the control and the experimental group in terms of the gender variable in the study. In addition, the research has revealed in a significant improvement in the level of science learning skills of students in the experimental group who were supported through dioramas for 6 weeks. In contrast, students who were taught in the control group through traditional teaching method did not exhibit a significant improvement for science learning skills. This can be taken as an evidence for the importance of teaching through students centred activities, dioramas in this case. Mifsud and Tunnicliffe (2013) argues that students who visit dioramas demonstrate higher development of scientific skills such as observing, matching observations, asking questions and hypothesising. Interaction with dioramas helps the development for identification, interest, interpretation and research skills with biological dioramas (Tunnicliffe & Scheersoi, 2010).

The current research documented that the level of science learning skill for students taught through dioramas were significantly higher than the students who were taught through the traditional instruction in the control group. This suggests that diorama-assisted science teaching improves students' ability to learn science skills. The literature suggests that students’ science learning skills develop as a result of comparing dioramas describing different ecologic event (Tunnicliffe, 2007). In the same vein, Reiss and Tunnicliffe (2011) emphasizes that teaching through discovery learning with the help dioramas improves students' ability for observing, measuring, making hypothesis, communicating, interpreting and making theories. Reynolds (1991), in his work with secondary school students, also emphasizes that activity-based science education is more significantly contributes to the success of science learning ability to develop science skills than academic achievements. Teaching biology lessons through hands-on activities, in comparison to the traditional teacher centred instruction, is important in improving students’ scientific learning skills as well as cognitive achievement, retention and problem solving skills (Preece & Brotherton, 1997; Thair & Treagust, 1997).

The common features seen to promote creativity were flexibility in the pedagogical environment, where the teacher creates an environment that provides students opportunities for ideas and expression, and promotes good attitudes towards creative thinking, particularly an open-mindedness to receive new initiatives. This result is supported by Davies et al. (2013) who emphasized an important feature of the pedagogic environment, which can promote creativity, is the nature of the relationship between teachers and students, including high expectations, mutual respect, modelling of creative attitudes, flexibility and dialogue.

In terms of gender, the current study did not find any statistically significant difference in experimental and control group students’ science learning skill levels at the end of the unit taught.