ACHIEVEMENT AND GENDER EFFECTS ON 5TH GRADER'S ACQUISITION OF SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS IN A SOCIOECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED NEIGHBORHOOD

Science process skills (SPSs) play a significant role in science education. This research aimed to determine the acquisition level of 5th-grade students in SPSs with classroom activities. The research was a case study, and the data were collected by focus group interviews, document analysis, and observations. The sample of the research was six students from the fifth grade selected based on maximum variation sampling. Science process skills focused worksheets, focus group interview schedule, and observation forms were used as data collection tools. As a result, it was found out that the students were at the average or above the average level in observing, predicting, measuring, comparing and classifying skills; and they were at below the average level in inferring, organizing data, identifying and using experimental materials, processing data and formulating models, controlling variables, experimenting, interpreting and inferring. Also, it was determined that students with high academic achievement have more acquisition in SPSs. Besides, it was found out that the development of SPSs is gender neutral, it depends on the number of activities that are made in the classroom and what is the role of the students in these activities.