ACTION RESEARCH TO STUDY PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PHYSICS STUDENTS

PISA studies have concluded that while the level of knowledge, amongst students in Estonia, is good the level of higher order thinking skills is lower, especially in natural sciences, which is accompanied by lower study motivation. In order to study the level of higher order thinking skills and what influences those skills, an action research was conducted. The research was done in Tallinn 21. school with 90 students from 8th grade. The students studied, using ICT enhanced study material specifically made to increase their higher order thinking skills. In order to study the effects of the study material, student’s problem solving skills were measured before and after using the new study material. Also, the students had to answer a questionnaire, which was measuring their study motivation and self-confidence. The research concluded that the study material has an effect on the level of higher order thinking skills, but the statistical evidence was lacking to clearly understand the role of the new study material.