The effect of recycling education on high school students conceptual understanding about ecology: A study on matter cycle

The objective of this study is to analyze and determine whether a developed recycling education program would lead to a positive change in the conceptual understanding of ecological concepts associated with matter cycles by high school students. The research was conducted on 68 high school 10th grade students (47 female and 21 male students). The research has been contextualized as a quasi-experimental design model with pretest-posttest control group and the EECUT Test was applied to the students in the research group prior to and after providing them with the respective courses with an aim to determine the effects of the Recycling Education Program (REP) on the conceptual understanding of ecological concepts by high school students. Based on the results a significant difference in the conceptual understanding of the students included in the respective experimental and control group was identified in the answers given to the EECUT WC and EECUT CC questions. Key words: Recycling, education, ecology, matter cycle.