Motivation and cognition are the key variables to foster science learning. This idea has been widely investigated and accepted on the literature. Learners’ motivation is integrated with their learning by providing crucial effect on the quality of cognitive engagement in learning activities (Boekaerts, 2001; Pintrich & Schrauben, 1992; Pintrich, Marx & Boyle, 1993).
The instruction is important for promoting students motivation and cognitive strategy use in science classes (Sungur & Tekkaya, 2006). A student-centered learning environment in classrooms may increase student’s motivation and strategic effort for understanding by encouraging active learning and engaging students intensely (McNall, 1997; Singh). One such constructivist instructional model is Learning Cycle (Karplus & Thier, 1967). The model was derived from Piaget’s mental functioning model and includes seven phases, namely,; Elicit, Engagement, Exploration, Explanations, Elaboration, Evaluation and Extension. The phases comprise activities to elicit prior knowledge and misconceptions, gain students’ attention, to let the students explore the concept and realize the insufficient explanations on their minds, to connect students’ explanations with scientific clarification, to deepen students’ understanding by alternative activities, to evaluate their conception, and finally to transfer the knowledge in new situations, respectively (Allen & Tanner, 2005; Eisenkraft, 2003; Settlage, 2000). The sequence of the phases effectively increase students’ knowledge and learning motivation (Liu, Peng, Wu & Lin, 2009)
The first steps of the model may promote students’ intrinsic goal orientation and task value through the strategies that create interest in the topic, captivate students’ attention, encourage curiosity and recall their prior knowledge. Students’ perception of their own progress by realization of deficiency on their knowledge during the exploration phase, reaching scientific explanations on the next phases and their self-awareness on learning at the evaluation phase preserve their self-efficacy and enhance their critical thinking skills (Shunk, 1991). Similarly, students’ active participation on the process and facilitator role of teachers encourage self-regulation and interest in learning (Lowman, 1990) as well as learning strategy use. Discussion among students, like performed at explanation phase, is an effective technique to motivate all students (Klosterman & Gorman, 1990)
Considering the Learning Cycle environment, the underlying motivational constructs being examined by researchers include intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientation, self-efficacy, control of beliefs, task value, and test-anxiety. The learning strategies investigated at this study cover rehearsal, elaboration, organization, critical thinking, metacognitive self-regulation, time and study environment, effort regulation, peer learning and help seeking.
On the basis of findings of relevant research this study aimed at comparing the effectiveness of 7E Learning Cycle method and lecture-based instruction on elementary school students’ motivational variables and learning strategies in a science unit known as human body systems. Human body systems were selected for implementation because of the reported difficulty to learn the subject with deficiencies on the relevant knowledge and misconceptions of students (Arnaudin & Mintzes, 1985; Prokop & Fancovicova, 2006). The abstract nature of the concept may result in these undesired results. However, 7E Learning Cycle may support the learning and motivation of students toward the concept.
