This research focuses on potential gender differences in motivation to learn Physics with the aim to determine the weakest female motivational components to learn Physics and the contribution of ...different teaching approaches (using real and virtual experiments) on those components and motivation for learning Physics in general. These two approaches were chosen as the most commonly used approaches in physics but without clear compared indication on females' motivation. The standardized questionnaire SMTSL (Student's Motivation towards Science Learning) is used for the measurements. The results show that for female students the weakest motivational components to learn Physics are the importance of Physics as a science and self-efficacy. Virtual experiments contribute more to females' motivation to learn Physics than applying real experiments. The female students who used real experiments show fear of being laughed at by their male peers and express doubt in their self-knowledge. Although the applied approaches cause some improvements in female students' self-efficacy, they are not statistically significant. Research results suggest that teachers need to apply such teaching approaches that engage girls and encourage their learning and development in order to improve their self-efficacy and other motivational components.
The present study explores the efficiency of the flipped classroom approach on English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students’ academic vocabulary acquisition in comparison with the conventional ...teaching approach. The efficiency is examined by evaluating students’ post-test performance, self-perceived mental effort employed in completing post-test tasks, and perceptions regarding the learning experiences. To this end, 60 undergraduates divided into flipped (E) and conventional (C) group participated in the survey. Quantitative data analysis revealed that the flipped classroom approach showed higher instructional efficiency than the conventional approach as the E group significantly outperformed the C group and reported investing considerably lower mental effort in completing the post-test tasks. In addition, the E group expressed significantly more positive perceptions toward the learning experience than the C group. Considering the positive results obtained in the study, the article points out the use of the flipped approach as an example of good practice for enhancing academic vocabulary acquisition in EAP context.
The main goal of this study was to examine the extent to which different
teaching instructions focused on the application of laboratory inquire-based
experiments (LIBEs) and interactive computer ...based simulations (ICBSs)
improved understanding of physical contents in high school students, compared
to traditional teaching approach. Additionally, the study examined how the
applied instructions influenced students? assessment of invested cognitive
load. A convenience sample of this research included 187 high school
students. A multiple-choice test of knowledge was used as a measuring
instrument for the students? performance. Each task in the test was followed
by the five-point Likert-type scale for the evaluation of invested cognitive
load. In addition to descriptive statistics, determination of significant
differences in performance and cognitive load as well as the calculation of
instructional efficiency of applied instructional design, computed one-factor
analysis of variance and Tukey?s post-hoc test. The findings indicate that
teaching instructions based on the use of LIBEs and ICBSs equally contribute
to an increase in students? performance and the reduction of cognitive load
unlike traditional teaching of Physics. The results obtained by the students
from the LIBEs and ICBSs groups for calculated instructional efficiency
suggest that the applied teaching strategies represent effective teaching
instructions.
The Internet is a service where much information from the world of science, technology, fashion and entertainment can be found. With the development of mobile devices, information from the Internet ...has become available almost everywhere. This fact should be used to help students learn curriculum e-materials from smartphones, tablets and netbooks. One of the Internet services that can be successfully applied in teaching is a blog. This research has analyzed the effects of using blog as a web tool in biology teaching. The sample under research included 171 students divided into two groups: an experimental group which used a blog and a control group in which the teaching was conducted without a blog as a teaching tool. The students from both groups were first tested by means of a pre-test according to which the groups were at the same level of knowledge of biology and after covering the topic of Cytology both groups did the post-test. The research showed that the students who used the blog had statistically a significantly better result on the post-test. Further research showed that students make equal progress at all levels of knowledge with the help of blogs and that the blog is the most useful to advanced students.
The Flipped Classroom (FC) is a teaching approach in which students gain the first-exposure learning with online materials outside the classroom, and then, in the classroom, they focus on interactive ...or engaging exercises. Despite its considerable publicity, the studies focused on the FC in primary education are deficient. The aim of this research is to determine efficiency and students’ involvement in the flipped Biology classroom in primary school, compared to the conventional classroom (CC) approach. Educational efficiency and students’ involvement are measured by combining the values of the students’ performance and mental effort on the test. Each task in the test was followed by the 5-point Likert scale for evaluation of invested mental effort. The total sample of this research included 112 students, aged from 12 to 13. The results show that the FC approach contributes to the reduction of the students’ mental effort and an increase in the students’ performance. On the basis of calculated efficiency and students’ involvement of applied teaching approaches, it was concluded that the FC represents a feasible and efficient approach to Biology primary education.
Initiatives by numerous American associations and various European projects constantly remind of the importance of linking science, technology, engineering and mathematics into a holistic approach to ...teaching and learning, known as the STEM approach. Comprehensive STEM education research mostly focuses on the effects of this approach on students’ performance and their attitudes towards the approach, whereas a significantly smaller number of studies have examined the instructional efficiency of the STEM approach in science teaching by assessing students’ performance, the mental effort invested in solving tasks and their involvement in STEM classes. With the intention to address the mentioned gap, the aim of this study is to determine the instructional efficiency of and students’ involvement in the STEM approach in biology teaching in primary school, compared to the non-STEM approach. The study employed quantitative research methodology and a true experimental design using pretest-posttest experimental and control groups. The results show that the STEM approach in biology teaching increases students’ performance and involvement and also contributes to the reduction of students’ mental effort. Based on the research results, we conclude that biology teachers should apply the STEM approach in presenting scientific concepts, as this contributes both to the quality of the acquired knowledge and its maintenance.
Research studies aimed at finding a more efficient model of teaching biology are still sporadic and inconsistent in the contemporary literature. The main aim of the research was to examine the ...correlation between the application of teaching strategies in biology teaching and students' school achievements, depending on how much the teacher respects their learning styles. The method of theoretical analysis and descriptive method were applied in the research. The sample consisted of 151 third-grade students (39.7% male and 60.3% female) of upper-secondary school. Kolb’s Inventory of Learning Styles and Questionnaire for Assessing the Teaching Strategies of Biology Teachers were used as data gathering tools. Independent t-test, χ2 - square test, and One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze data. The results showed that there was a statistically significant correlation between teaching strategies, learning styles, and students' school achievement in biology learning. At the same time, students perceived the applied teaching strategies differently, and manifested different dimensions of learning styles. This was followed by the conclusion that students achieved better school achievements in biology teaching when they were taught in the ways that corresponded to their learning styles, which pointed to certain implications for inquiry-based teaching, as well as in education of future biology teachers.
PDF
