Investigation of the Effects of Understanding by Design Model on Problem-Solving, Collaboration, and Academic Achievement in Social Studies Course

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the Understanding by Design Model (UbD) on students' problem-solving skills, collaboration skills, and overall academic achievement in the fourth-grade social studies course. The research was conducted with mixed methods, and an enriched design was used in the study. The participants of the study consisted of 41 fourth-grade students: 22 in the experimental group and 19 in the control group. 'Problem-Solving Steps Teacher Observation Form', 'Cooperative Learning Rubric', and 'UbD Application Teacher Interview Form' were used as qualitative data collection tools. 'Problem-Solving Skills Scale', 'Cooperative Work Scale', and 'Social Studies Academic Achievement Test' were used as quantitative data collection tools. Descriptive statistics results were used to analyze qualitative data, and Mann-Whitney U, Welch t-test, ANOVA, and Shapiro-Wilk test were used to analyze quantitative data. The findings obtained from the data of the study show that UbD contributed to the development of problem-solving and collaborative working skills, increased academic achievement, and increased students' motivation towards the learning process.