Effect of Computer Animation Technique on Students' Comprehension of the "Solar System and Beyond" Unit in the Science and Technology Course

Accepted: 25.01.2013 The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of computer animation technique on academic achievement of students in the 'Solar System and Beyond' unit lectured as part of the Science and Technology course of the seventh grade in primary education. The sample of the study consists of 60 students attending to the 7th grade of primary school under two different classes during the 2011-2012 academic year. While the lectures in the class designated as the experiment group were given with computer animation technique, in the class designated as the control group Powerpoint presentations and videos were utilized along with the traditional teaching methods. According to the findings, it was determined that computer animation technique is more effective than traditional teaching methods in terms of enhancing students' achievement. It was also determined in the study that, the Powerpoint presentations and related videos used together with the traditional teaching methods provided to the control group significantly help the students to increase their academic achievement.