Effect of the 7E Learning Cycle Model Integrated with Computer Animation on Students’ Science Process Skills

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the 7E learning cycle model integrated with computer animations on secondary school students’ Science Process Skills (SPS) in the context of biology education in Ethiopia. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was used. In total, 151 grade 10 students from three intact classes in the Metekel Zone, Ethiopia, were divided into three groups: Treatment Group 1 (TG1, n = 51) was taught using the 7E model along with computer animation (CA); Treatment Group 2 (TG2, n = 48) was taught using only the 7E model; and the Control Group (CG, n = 52), which involved conventional instruction. The topic “food making and growth in plants” was taught for two months. The SPST test was administered before and after the treatment to measure the integrated science process skills of students. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and MANOVA. Pre-test analysis confirmed no significant differences in SPS among groups or between genders at baseline. The post-test results revealed differences in SPS scores between groups, F (2,148) = 39.405, p < 0.001, η 2 =0.352. In the post-hoc comparisons, TG1 (M = 17.25, SD = 2.42) was found to perform significantly better than the CG, M = 13.21, SD = 2.41, p < 0.001. TG2, M = 16.17, SD = 2.31, also performed significantly better than the CG, p < 0.001. Differences were not statistically significant between TG1 and TG2, p = 0.063. Although boys outperformed girls slightly in the descriptive statistics, MANOVA showed no statistically significant gender-based differences in the post-test scores, p = 0.154. The 7E learning cycle model, especially when combined with computer animations, is more effective than traditional lecturing in enhancing secondary school students’ science process skills. The findings provide a basis for recommendations in the adoption of this technology-enhanced, inquiry-based pedagogy, together with teacher training and curriculum integration, in order to improve the outcomes for science education.