Innovative STEAM Education Research for Child Development from MAKU Scientists

Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKÜ) Faculty of Education faculty member Prof. Dr. Ekber Tomul and PhD student Özlem Okatan, with the support they received from MAKÜ Scientific Research Projects (BAP) and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), implemented the project titled "The Effect of Augmented Reality Enriched STEAM Education Activities on Scientific Process Skills in Preschool Period: Mixed Method" for preschool children.

The project, which includes kindergarten 5-year-old group students, observed gains related to scientific skill and process skills of children using technological tools in the preschool period.

The project, carried out in kindergartens in the district of Gölhisar, aims to evaluate the scientific process skills of students in 5-year-old classes through STEAM education. The project, implemented in three different groups as the control group, the normal STEAM education group, and the augmented reality-supported STEAM education group, will analyze whether the scientific process skills of the group given augmented reality-supported STEAM education are more effective with the comparisons made between these groups.

The project manager Prof. Dr. Ekber Tomul, stating that the project is a first in Turkey, emphasized the importance of equipping citizens with qualifications suitable for the changing world. Tomul, stating that one of the current educational approaches to develop 21st century skills is STEAM education, stated that the origin of the project came from the doctoral thesis titled "The Effect of Augmented Reality Enriched STEAM Education Activities on Scientific Process Skills in Preschool Period: Mixed Method".

Tomul, stating that the focus of the project is to provide scientific process skills to children at an early age, stated that they aim to evaluate the effect of technology in this process. The results of the applications made on preschool children in Gölhisar within the scope of the project are still in the analysis phase, and he stated that their expectation is that the scientific process skills of the group given augmented reality-supported STEAM education will be higher.

In the project, where analysis studies are ongoing, a bachelor's, a master's, a doctoral and a scholarship student who has completed his doctorate, selected from MAKÜ students living in the earthquake region, also participate.