Interactions between Instructional Methods and Styles of Concept Learning

Abstract

Statistical interactions between Conceptual Levels Test (CLT) scores and deductive vs. inductive teaching methods were examined among 275 sixth grade pupils. The purposes of the study were to determine whether the two methods are most effective among different students, and whether CLT scores predict which students should receive each kind of instruction. Subjects were randomly assigned to deductive and inductive groups for instruction in critical thinking. Repeated measures of achievements and attitudes provided four sets of criterion scores. The regression of criterion scores on CLT scores yielded one significant disordinal interaction and four confidence intervals within which deductive teaching was significantly more effective than inductive instruction. Regions in which inductive teaching was significantly superior were not observed. While deductive instruction was advantageous for some learners, neither high, medium nor low CLT scorers benefited consistently from inductive teaching.     

A Comparison and Evaluation of Two Methods of Organization for the Teaching of Reading

Abstract

In order to test the hypothesis that field independence would interact with level of guidance, students in five mathematics classes were randomly assigned to either a low guidance or a high guidance treatment group for a week of instruction. Both treatments used an inductive sequence of instruction on the topic of networks. Students were assessed on two aptitudes, field independence and general reasoning. Achievement was significantly better (p > .05) in the high guidance group than the low guidance group on both the posttest and the retention test. No significant interactions with the aptitude variables were found.     

Creativity and Academic Achievement

Abstract

The present classroom experiment used an analysis of variance for a 2x3x2 factorial experiment to investigate the relative effectiveness of inductive and deductive methods and to determine interaction among ability, sex, and method variables. Data were derived from a recognition and transfer criterion administered immediately after the 5 week instruction period and 2 weeks later. Obtained F values favored the inductive treatment (p.<.01) in each case and method by sex interaction was noted for the total score variable of the delayed test (p.<.05). It was concluded that the inductive method is superior in the teaching of morphological and syntaxical concepts regardless of Ss’ verbal ability level, and an investigation of the treatment by sex interaction suggests that inductive methods may be more effective with female Ss.     

Self-determination knowledge instruction and incarcerated students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the self-determination knowledge of incarcerated students with and without disabilities using a pretest/posttest experimental control group design. In contrast to previous studies conducted in the public school setting, a significant relationship between self-determination knowledge and self-determination instruction was not found. Possible reasons for the lack of significance include the restrictive nature of the juvenile justice setting and the need for positive self-determined role models within the juvenile justice setting. Students’ self-determination knowledge was also examined in relationship to self-determination knowledge instruction and to students’ gender, reading level, math level and disability. A significant relationship was found between self-determination knowledge and gender, reading level, math level and disability status (i.e. being identified as having any disability). Students who were male, had an identified disability, and/or had low academic abilities in math and/or reading had lower self-determination knowledge levels.     

Educational Measurements and Evaluation

Abstract

The problem with which this research is concerned is that of determining the effectiveness of television instruction as compared to conventional instruction. Data was secured by organizing control and experimental groups in Finite Math and General Botany. The control groups received their instruction via conventional means. The experimental groups received their instruction via live or closed circuit television.

The next step was to secure student and instructor opinions concerning television instruction. The achievement of the groups was tested using the “null hypothesis.” The .05 level was used to accept or reject each research hypothesis. This research indicated that there was no significant difference between the methods used in Finite Math. Although slight, there was a significant difference in General Botany.     

Cognitive training for children: Effects on inductive reasoning,deductive reasoning,and mathematics achievement in an Australian school setting

Inductive reasoning is a core cognitive process of fluid intelligence, predicting a variety of educational outcomes. The Cognitive Training for Children (CTC) program is an educational intervention designed to develop children's inductive reasoning skills, with previous investigations finding substantial effects of the program on both inductive reasoning ability and classroom learning. The present study assessed both individual and small‐group CTC training against a no‐treatment control condition to investigate the effects on inductive and deductive reasoning and mathematics achievement in a primary school‐aged Australian cohort. Students who received individual training outperformed those in the control condition on measures of inductive and deductive reasoning, and those in the small‐group condition also outperformed the control condition on a measure of inductive reasoning 3 months following training. However, hypotheses regarding transfer effects to mathematics achievement were not supported. Directions for future research, focusing on extended longitudinal studies and motivational variables, are discussed.     

Children's and adults' evaluation of the certainty of deductive inferences,inductive inferences,and guesses

Two experiments investigated kindergarten through fourth-grade children's and adults' (N = 128) ability to (1) evaluate the certainty of deductive inferences, inductive inferences, and guesses; and (2) explain the origins of inferential knowledge. When judging their own cognitive state, children in first grade and older rated deductive inferences as more certain than guesses; but when judging another person's knowledge, children did not distinguish valid inferences from invalid inferences and guesses until fourth grade. By third grade, children differentiated their own deductive inferences from inductive inferences and guesses, but only adults both differentiated deductive inferences from inductive inferences and differentiated inductive inferences from guesses. Children's recognition of their own inferences may contribute to the development of knowledge about cognitive processes, scientific reasoning, and a constructivist epistemology.     

归纳式教学法的定义、比较与研究基础(上)

教学模式是目前工程教育改革的一个关键问题。传统的演绎式教学模式并不适合工程人才的培养。本文首先探讨了归纳式教学法的原理,然后对各种常用的归纳式教学方法作了全面的综述,就每一种方法的定义、相互之间的异同之处及对各种方法有效性的评价研究进行了详细的介绍,最后对各种方法的具体实施提出了有益的建议。     

Diagnosis,Remediation, and Locus of Control

The influence of locus of control, diagnosis, and remediation on immediate and retained achievement and attitudes of middle school science students was the focus of this study. Subjects in the experiment were assessed for locus of control and experienced one of three treatments: no diagnosis or remediation; diagnosis with no remediation; or, diagnosis and remediation. Immediate achievement was measured at two points during the experiment, and retention was measured 30 days following the experiment. Diagnosis and remediation proved to be significantly effective in increasing retained achievement. Internal locus of control subjects out-scored external subjects in the areas of both immediate and retained achievement. Whites achieved higher than blacks in retention. Attitudes of all groups tended to be positive. These findings suggest that diagnostic or diagnostic and remedial instruction is an effective means of increasing the retention level of middle school students.     

The Effects on Retention of Programed Classroom Reviews

Abstract

A group of 150 high-school students were taught introductory vector geometry by either programmed instruction or conventional teacher-directed methods. A measure of anxiety was taken for all subjects; also pretest and posttest measures of competence in vector geometry. Otis-Gamma scores were used to index intelligence. A significant negative correlation was observed between the total group anxiety level and Otis-Gamma scores. The correlations of the individual mode of instruction groups to Otis-Gamma scores were not significantly different from each other. Analysis of Covariance indicated no significant relationship between mode of instruction and learning; level of anxiety and learning; and learning and interaction of anxiety and mode of instruction. Trends were observed that indicate that more experimentation with larger populations and longer periods of instruction by programmed learning devices might prove fruitful.     

What Los Angeles is Doing with the Results of Testing

Abstract

Seventy-eight white lower-middle class 11th and 12th grade males participated in an experiment designed to assess the effects of variations in locus of control on the efficiency of three types of reinforcement on linear programmed instruction performance: (l) no confirmations, (2) confirmations, (3) feedback from the experimenter to be exchanged for a monetary rein forcer. Dependent measures were gains from pre- to posttest and number of correct responses on the program. Although no significant differences were found for gain scores. Internals made more correct responses when no confirmations or money were available than did Externals, and Externals who were paid for their performance made as many correct responses as did Internals. Results are discussed in terms of the different motivational bases from which Internals and Externals operate.     

Learning style and program design in interactive multimedia

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of variations in the design and delivery of interactive multimedia (IMM) on the learning and attitudes of elementary education majors. A multivariate analysis of variance was conducted with three independent variables—small group or individualized format, inductive or deductive design of instruction, and match of learner style to instruction—and four dependent variables—content scores, observation skill scores, overall satisfaction, and attitude toward learner control of instruction. Scores on the observation skills evaluation were significantly higher when the student's learning style was matched with the design of instruction. Satisfaction and attitude outcomes were significantly different for format: students in the small group were more satisfied, while those using the individual learning station were more strongly agreed that they controlled the pace and sequence of their own instruction. Content scores were not significantly different. In the future, the use of interactive multimedia with various formats and designs may serve to meet the needs of students with differing learning styles and at different developmental levels.     

An Investigation of the Joint Influence of Faculty Control and Student Locus of Reinforcement on Instructional Evaluation

Abstract

This research was based on the theoretical belief that student evaluations of faculty teaching are related to the person-environment congruence between students’ locus of reinforcement and the degree of control exercised by faculty instructional styles. Fifty-seven college students were classified as internally or externally reinforced based on Rotter’s locus of reinforcement theory. Students evaluated high and low faculty control instructional styles by rating daily seven classroom evaluative questions on a five-point differential scale. It was hypothesized that the evaluation of instruction by students experiencing congruent control styles (internal students/low control and external students/high control) would be more positive than incongruent combinations (external students low control and internal students/high control). ANOVA results yielded a significant 937’value p <.01) for interaction effects which supported the research hypothesis. Implications for student evaluation of faculty teaching are discussed.     

The Superiority of Distributed Practice in Drill in Arithmetic

Abstract

Forty-three second and third grade non-readers who were diagnosed as having visual perceptual deficiencies were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received training in visual analysis, which included visual short-term memory, visual discrimination of letters and words, and remedial instruction. The control group received only remedial instruction. After seven months, there was no significant difference between the groups in visual perception or achievement of reading skills. However, there was a significant mean difference between pretest and posttest scores for both groups on all measures tested. Experimental subjects gained 8.9 months in reading achievement versus 9.2 months for controls, indicating that visual discrimination and visual memory of word training influenced the achievement of reading skills for this group to the same degree as did a remedial program without visual training.     

论教学观念的改造

教学认识在发展，教学实践在深化，教师就必须不断地改造自身的教学观念。教学观念的改造无论采用演绎的方法还是归纳的方法，都要将教育科学的学习与教学活动的反思有机结合起来。教师如果把教学活动看作是一个由目标系统、实施过程和结果系统三个环节组成的动态整体，便可得出反思教学活动的三个维度，作为反思自己具体教学活动的一般框架。教学观念的改造不能随意而行，应该遵循自律性原则、持续性原则和践行性原则。     

Factors Causing Failure in Teaching

Abstract

This study was undertaken to examine two fundamental questions related to the use of graphic organizer instruction with fifth-grade, normal-achieving students: (a) Does graphic organizer instruction facilitate comprehension, recall, and transfer of information contained in an expository textbook? and (b) To what degree is explicit instruction necessary for independent generation and use of graphic organizers by students? In four experimental conditions, participants read social studies information with or without the graphic organizer. The conditions were further separated by the presence or absence of explicit instruction. Participants in the control condition received traditional basal instruction, as prescribed by the teacher's manual of the district-adopted textbook. Participants in all groups performed comparably on acquisition and retention measures. However, when required to read and recall novel social studies content, participants receiving the graphic organizer and explicit instruction performed better on the measure of transfer than students who received traditional basal instruction did.     

The Effects of Two Models of Staff Development on Self-Awareness and Attitudes of Teachers with Internal vs. External Locus of Control

This study investigated the effects of two staff development models–role playing and open instruction–on the self-awareness and attitudes of teachers with internal vs. external locus of control. In a 2 x 2 design for analysis of variance, 27 composition teachers were randomly assigned, and subsequently stratified by locus of control scores, to two parallel but contrasting summer workshop programs to test the following hypotheses: teachers in the role-playing group would be more self-aware and have more positive attitudes toward inservice education than would teachers in the open instruction group; teachers of internal locus of control would be more self-aware and have more positive attitudes toward inservice education than would teachers of external locus of control. Significant correlations were found between the instructor in the roleplaying group but not in the open instruction group with regard to self-awareness. No significant differences were found between treatment groups with regard to attitudes toward inservice education; however, significant differences were found with respect to locus of control on all three scales, specifically teachers of internal locus of control showed significantly more positive attitudes toward inservice education than teachers with external locus of control. In addition there was a significant treatment x locus of control interaction.     

Effects of an Inductive Versus a Deductive Instructional Approach on the Constructive Feedback and Problem-Solving Skills of Supervisors

This study investigated the effects of an inductive versus a deductive instructional approach on the constructive feedback and problem-solving skills of supervisors. Sixteen supervisors were randomly assigned to either an inductive or a deductive instructional group for one of the instructional units in a supervisory training program. The topic of the unit was the constructive feedback process. Supervisors' acquisition and transfer of skill in giving constructive feedback, problem-solving skill, facilitation of subordinate problem-solving skill, and attitudes toward training were assessed. The findings showed that while supervisors in the deductive group demonstrated greater ability to transfer their learning, supervisors in the inductive group perceived that the quality of their training experience was better. No significant differences were found on either measure of problem-solving skill. Implications of these findings for instructional design theory, research, and practice are discussed.     

Evaluating Experimental and Control Programs for Attrition/Persistence

Abstract

This study assessed the effectiveness, in terms of attrition/persistence, of an experimental program for disadvantaged freshmen (A’ = 104) as contrasted with a control program (N = 104). Multifactor analyses of variance considered the effects of programs, special instruction, financial aid, ACT, sex, race, and GPA. In terms of freshman attrition/persistence, there were no viable significant differences between the experimental and control programs; between special and regular instruction; between financial aid and no financial aid; between special instruction with financial aid and regular instruction with no financial aid; between lower and higher ACT scores; between males and females; or between blacks and whites. Grades (as significant main effects and in significant interactions) differentiated freshman attrition/ persistence consistently.     

The relationship between learner control of CAI and locus of control among hispanic students

This study investigated achievement and motivation effects related to locus of control (internal and external) and three levels of learner control (no control, moderate control, and high control). The 101 seventh-grade and eighth-grade Hispanic subjects were classified as internal or external based on locus of control (loc) scores, blocked by sex and grade, then randomly assigned to the three levels of learner control in separate versions of a CAI instructional program in science. Internalloc subjects did not choose more en route practice than externals and did not perform better under high learner control. Theloc results raise questions about the usefulness of locus of control as it relates to instruction, at least with populations similar to the present one.