The Effect of the Spreading Activation Model on the Acquisition of Psychological Concepts among FifthGrade Literary Students

The present study investigates the effect of the Spreading Activation Model as an instructional strategy on the acquisition of psychological concepts among fifth-grade female students in the literary stream.Psychological concepts are often characterized by abstraction and theoretical complexity, which poses significant challenges for secondarylevel learners when taught through traditional, lecture-based methods.To address this issue, the researcher adopted an experimental approach using a quasi-experimental design with two equivalent groups: an experimental group and a control group.The research sample consisted of 64 female students drawn from a preparatory school, with 32 students assigned to each group.The experimental group was instructed using the Cognitive Spreading Activation Model, while the control group received instruction through conventional teaching methods.The two groups were statistically equated in key variables, including chronological age and intelligence level.A researcher-developed test measuring the acquisition of psychological concepts was administered as a post-test.Data were analyzed using the independent samples t-test.The results revealed a statistically significant difference in favor of the experimental group, indicating the effectiveness of the Spreading Activation Model in enhancing students' acquisition and understanding of psychological concepts.The study concludes that adopting cognitively oriented instructional models can substantially improve conceptual learning outcomes in psychology education at the secondary level.