Control 30 62.3 15.1*p<.05The post-test achievement scores of the students in the experimental and the control groups have beencompared in Table 3. The average post-test score of the students in the experimental group was found to be Xexperimental= 73.3±12.4, and the average post-test score of the students in the control group has been found as Xcontrol= 62.3±15.1. The difference between the two groups has been analysed through independent samples t-test.TOJNED : The Online Journal Of New Horizons In Education - October 2011, Volume 1, Issue 4Copyright © TOJNED www.tojned.net8The accounted t-value has been found as [t(64)= 3.26]. The students in the experiment group [ X experimental= 73.3]showed significantly better achievement compared to the students in the control group [ X control= 62.3]. Soaccording to these results, it can be said that there is statistically significant difference between the post-testscores of the two groups in .05 level [p= .0018, p<.05]. When one looks at the average scores of the groups, itcan be seen that the students in the experiment group have reached a higher achievement level compared tothose in the control group. The experimental method, which is project-based learning, applied has been moreeffective than the instruction based on student textbooks in the control group.Analysis of the Second Research QuestionThe second research question of the study was ―Is there a significant difference between the attitudelevels of the students in the experiment group and the students in the control group towards the lesson in termsof the usage of project-based learning?‖ So, before the treatment an independent samples t-test was employed inorder to determine whether a statistically significant mean difference existed between the experimental and thecontrol groups with respect to their pre-attitude towards English lesson. The comparison of pre-test results of thestudents in the experimental and the control groups are presented in Table 4.Table 4. Comparison of Pre-Test Attitude Scores of the Students in the Experiment and the Control GroupsGroups η X Std. Dev. df t pExperimental 30 1.58 0.50264 -0.247 0.81*Control 30 1.61 0.496*p>.05In Table 4 given, the pre-test attitude scores of the students in the experiment and the control groups canbe seen. The average pre-test attitude score of the students in the experiment group has been found as Xexperimental= 1.58±0.502; and the average pre-test attitude score of the students in the control group has been foundas X control= 1.61±0.496. The accounted t-value between the average scores of the two groups is [t(64)= -0.247].The data obtained are not statistically significant in .05 level since the pre-test attitude scores of the students ofthese two groups are similar.Table 5. Comparison of Post-Test Attitude Scores of the Students in the Experiment and the Control GroupsGroups η X Std. Dev. df t pExperimental 30 2.73 0.45264 6.16 0.0001*Control 30 2.03 0.467*p<.05The post-test attitude scores of the students in the experiment group and the control group can be seen inTable 5. The average post-test attitude score of the students in the experiment group has been found as Xexperimental= 2.73±0.452; and the average attitude post-test score of the students in the control group has beenfound as X control= 2.03±0.467. The t-value obtained from the average scores of the two groups has been foundas [t(64)= 6.16], which shows the statistically significant difference [p= .0001, p<.05] between the groups. In lightTOJNED : The Online Journal Of New Horizons In Education - October 2011, Volume 1, Issue 4Copyright © TOJNED www.tojned.net9of the data acquired in the research, it can be said that the students in the experiment group have reached higherattitude scores compared to those in the control group. The experimental method applied has enabled thestudents to develop positive attitudes towards English lesson.Conclusions and DiscussionThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of project-based learning on academicachievement and attitudes of ninth grade students towards English lesson and to compare it to that of instructionbased on student textbooks. For this reason, experimental and control groups were formed for the study.Whereas project-based learning was applied to the experimental group, instruction based on student textbookswas applied to the control group in the study. As presented in the pre-test findings of English academicachievement test of ―past activities‖ unit, there was no significant difference between the experimental andcontrol groups in terms of their academic achievement scores in English lesson. The findings of post-test at theend of the four-week implementation, however, indicate that the experimental group performed better than thecontrol group. The difference acquired between these two groups can be attributed to the responsibilities that thestudents took in project-based learning, the active role of the students in the learning process. Working in thegroups, which project-based learning was employed made the students learn the responsibility, provided themwith motivation to learn, and enabled them to acquire knowledge by receiving different ideas and understandingthe others point of view in the lesson. The positive contribution of project-based learning on students‘ academic
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