The Effectiveness of the Curriculum Based on Understanding by Design on Academic Achievement and Problem Solving Perception of Sixth Grade Students of the Elementary School

Subject Areas : Instruction

seyed taher seyedi nazarlo ¹ , Firooz Mahmoodi ² , davoud tahmasebzadeh sheikhlar ³ , hossein dehganzade ⁴

1 - Ph. D. Student in Curriculum, Department of Education, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
2 - Associate Professor, Department of Education, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
3 - Associate Professor, Department of Education, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
4 - Assistant Professor, Department of Education, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.

Received: 2023-11-03 Accepted : 2024-01-27 Published : 2024-01-28

Keywords: Academic Achievement, Curriculum Based on Understanding by Design, Problem Solving Perception,

Abstract :

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how the Understanding by Design (UbD) curriculum affected the science achievement and problem-solving perception of sixth-grade students in science. The study took place in Shabestar city during the fall semester of the 2023-2024 academic year and involved 60 students who were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group, with 30 students in each group. The students had similar scores on a pre-test of science knowledge. The data collection instruments were a teacher-made achievement test and a problem-solving perception questionnaire was designed by Heppner and Petersen (1982) using a 5-point Likert scale. The instruments had a split-half reliability coefficient of 87% and a Cronbach’s alpha of 85%, respectively. The experimental group received instruction using the UbD curriculum, while the control group followed the traditional curriculum. To analyze the collected data, descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution tables, minimum, maximum, mean, and standard deviation and inferential statistics such as univariate analysis of covariance) with SPSS 25 software were used.The results showed that the UbD curriculum significantly increased the students’ science achievement and problem-solving perception compared to the traditional curriculum. These findings indicate that the UbD curriculum is a more effective and engaging way of teaching science to sixth-grade students, as it fosters their understanding of the subject matter and their problem-solving perception. This study contributes to the growing body of evidence that supports the use of backward design and authentic assessment in science education.