Ortaokul Öğrencilerinin Teknoloji Anlayışlarının Zihinsel Modellerle Araştırılması ve 21. Yüzyıl Becerilerine Etkisi

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate middle school students' technology conceptions and their effects on students' 21st century skills through mental models. The first part of the study aimed to determine middle school students' technology conceptions and whether they differed by gender and grade level. The second part investigated the effect of students' mental models of technology on their use of 21st century learning and innovation skills. The study employed mixed-methods research. The sample of the study consisted of 1038 middle school students in Konya. Upon examining the results, it was found that only 15.90% of the middle school students had a good mental model of the concept of technology, while 42.48% had a moderate mental model and 41.62% had a poor mental model. Generally, students view technology as a tool that simplifies people's lives and primarily associate it with electrical and electronic devices. The study revealed that while middle school students had an average understanding of mechanical technologies, they had difficulty conceptualizing basic technologies. We found no gender-based differences in middle school students' conceptions of technology. However, there was a statistically significant difference in the students’ conceptions of technology based on their grade level. The results also showed that higher grade levels were associated with more sophisticated understandings of technology among middle school students. Research suggests that students with a greater understanding of technology concepts tend to exhibit higher levels of 21st century learning and innovation skill usage, as well as more positive attitudes towards their application.