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The aim of today's societies is to raise individuals’ awareness of searching, critical thinking, questioning, knowledge production, knowledge transformation, and, learning to learn. At this point, raising awareness and equipping individuals with these skills depend on the quality of the education, and there are many factors affecting education quality required to care. In this regard, especially learning problems, one of these factors, individuals experience is critical in terms of delaying in progress. For, these learning problems may result in poorness in permanent learning, demotivation, and increase in anxiety.
When the relevant literature is reviewed on this basis, it is seen that, while the cognitive domain is mostly emphasized, the affective factors are seemingly overlooked (Tuan, Chin & Shieh, 2005), though cognitive processes in learning are affected by affective factors (Uzun, Gelbal & Öğretmen, 2010). Among these affective factors, learning motivation and anxiety are two main points in terms of shaping learning process. To briefly explain, learning motivation is the enthusiasim and willingness of students to learn things with a belief in the value, benefit, and meaningfulness of the things to be learned (Isin, Akcay & Kapici, 2020) and plays a role in the development of different skills such as critical thinking and cognitive processing (Pintrich, Marx & Boyle, 1993; Tuan, Chin & Sheh, 2005; Wolters & Rosenthal, 2000). As to learning anxiety, it is defined as an arousal state that an individual experience when faced with a stimulus and manifests itself with physical, emotional, and mental changes (Aiken, 1976). Regarding learning anxiety, it is pointed out that, while the optimum anxiety level has a positive effect on learning, low or high anxiety negatively affects (Köklü, 1996; Richardson & Suinn, 1972). Considering science education, these two factors are so significant and many points should be considered when structuring course content. In this respect, methods and techniques science educators would integrate would play critical role in motivating students and balancing their anxiety.
In the literature, it is commonly emphasized that educators should benefit from different methods and techniques in order to increase students' motivation to learn and to keep their anxiety at the optimum level while ensuring permanent, effective, and meaningful learning (Ding, Li, Piccolo & Kulm, 2007; Hazne & Berger 2007; Honey, 2009; Ballantine & Larres 2007; Şimşek, Doymuş & Şimşek 2008). Especially, educational game method and cooperative learning model, identified within the scope of active learning, are among the methods that, considering their positive effects on learning outcomes and motivation and anxiety, educators can benefit from.