The Effect of Animation Use in Biology Classes on Students' Academic Success and Attitudes

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of animation-assisted instruction on students' achievement, attitudes, and opinions regarding the method of teaching cells in biology class. For this purpose, a quasi-experimental design employing a pre-test and post-test control group was implemented in the study. The sample for this study consisted of 40 ninth-grade students enrolled in a state high school affiliated with the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) during the fall semester of the 2025–2026 academic year (experimental group: n = 20; control group: n = 20). In the experimental group, lessons were taught using animations, while in the control group, instruction was carried out based on the Ministry of National Education's curriculum. The Cell Achievement Test (CAT) and the Biology Lesson Attitude Scale were used before and after the topic. In addition, the Animation Opinion Scale was used to determine the opinions of students in the experimental group regarding animation-assisted instruction. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS 22 software package, and since a normal distribution was observed in both groups, parametric tests, namely the independent samples t-test and the dependent samples t-test, were applied. The research results revealed a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of students' final test achievement scores. However, when examining the attitude scale final test scores of the experimental and control groups, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups. Furthermore, the findings obtained with the animation opinion scale showed that the students in the experimental group generally had positive opinions regarding the animation-assisted instruction used in biology lessons.