The Effect of the Science-Fiction Books on Arousing Curiosity about Science in Secondary School Students*

Abstract

The aim of this research is to determine the effect of science-fiction books on arousing secondary school students’ curiosity about science. The research was conducted with 60 students attending 5th and 6th grades in a secondary school in Giresun, Guce district, during 2015-2016 academic year. The students were divided into two groups as one control group and one experimental group. In the control group, 2013 Science Curriculum was followed. In the experimental group, 12 different science-fiction books were added to the exact same curriculum. In this research, quantitative data were collected via Science Curiosity Scale and qualitative data were collected via semi structured diaries. After the application process, the quantitative data were analysed with SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) 16 software and the qualitative data were analysed with content analysis method. As a result of the research, a significant difference was found in favour of the experimental group in terms of science curiosity, compared to the control group who had not read the books. In addition to this, the semi-structured diaries revealed some remarks which state that science-fiction books pique their curiosity about science.