The Impact of the Concept Cartoons and Conceptual Change Texts on 7th Grade Students’ Understanding of “Space Exploration”

This study compares the effects of concept cartoons and conceptual change texts on eliminating misconceptions related to “Space Exploration’ among 7th-grade secondary school students. The sample comprised 53 students from a regional boarding school in Van, Turkey. A quasi-experimental research design was employed. Participants were selected for Experimental Group 1 (N=31) and Experimental Group 2 (N=22). The “Concept Cartoon Test” consisted of 11 distinct concept cartoons and interview questions regarding “Space Exploration” and was the data collection tool. The quantitative data gathered from the concept cartoon test were analysed using paired samples t-test and independent samples t-test via the SPSS 27.0 software package. The qualitative data obtained from interviews were analysed descriptively. The findings indicated that concept cartoons are more effective than conceptual change texts in addressing students’ misconceptions about ‘Space Exploration’.