The effects of individual or group guidelines on the calibration accuracy and achievement of high school biology students

A 2 × 2 factorial design was employed in a quasi-experiment to investigate the effects of guidelines in group or individual settings on the calibration accuracy and achievement of 82 high school biology students. Significant main effects indicated that calibration practice with guidelines and practice in group settings increased prediction and postdiction accuracy. A significant interaction showed that students who practiced calibration in groups using guidelines showed the greatest accuracy in their predictions and postdictions. Students in the guidelines condition and in the group setting condition had significantly higher achievement scores. The findings of this study suggest that the use of guidelines and group settings can promote calibration accuracy and achievement in high school biology courses.     

高中生生物学习动机与成绩的关系研究

通过调查高中生生物学习动机的现状,将其与学生的生物成绩作相关性分析,得出二者相关系数为R=0.228,同时发现此系数在不同成绩段的学生之间具有差异性;学生的内部学习动机对成绩的影响起主要作用,最后根据调查结果提出三条建议来培养与激发学生的生物学学习动机。     

The effects of cooperative homework on mathematics achievement of Chinese high school students

This study examined the effects of cooperative homework on mathematics achievement, taking into account team characteristics. Results of analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that three-member teams high in ability (three high achievers or two high achievers plus one middle/low achiever) seem preferable in organizing cooperative learning for mathematics homework. Middle and low achievers all benefited from cooperative mathematics homework, whereas high achievers did not although they still maintained their top position in mathematics achievement.     

Cooperative learning and group educational modules: Effects on cognitive achievement of high school biology students

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of cooperative learning and Group Educational Modules (GEM) on the achievement of high school biology students. GEM materials are self-instructional packets designed for use with groups of biology students. Cooperative learning is a classroom learning environment in which students work in small, mixed-ability groups toward a common goal. A 2 × 2 factorial design was used in this study. The independent variables considered included (1) participation of students in the GEM project, and (2) use of cooperative learning techniques including heterogeneous grouping and group incentives. The dependent variables for all treatment groups were scores on the instrument developed for this study. A total of 11 teachers with 36 classes and 715 students were included in this study. All teachers involved covered the same general subject matter during the study period. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used as the data analysis procedure. Significant differences were found in the achievement of students using GEM materials and those using traditional instructional approaches. The use of cooperative learning also produced significant differences when compared to traditional classroom structures.     

The effects of instructional organization and locus of control orientation on meaningful learning in high school biology students

This study investigated the effects on meaningful learning achievement of concept-related instructional organization and locus of control orientation. Two five-week instructional treatments were developed, one which explicitly stressed concept relationships and one which did not. Five hundred and forty-one subjects at six Indiana high schools were involved in the study. Analyses of covariance of posttest and six-week retention test scores with treatment as the independent variable showed no significant treatment effect. Analyses of variance of test scores with locus of control orientation as the independent variable resulted in highly statistically significant differences. Subjects with an internal locus of control orientation achieved more than externally oriented subjects. A two-way analysis of covariance by treatment and locus of control orientation resulted in a statistically significant treatment/locus of control interaction effect for retention test scores. Externally oriented subjects who were exposed to the concept-related treatment generally retained more than those in the comparison group. Internally oriented subjects retained about the same amount of information regardless of treatment group. When the male and female subjects were analyzed separately, the interaction effect appeared greater for females than for males.     

高中生成就动机与学业情绪、学业成绩的关系研究

为探讨高中生成就动机与学业情绪、学业成绩的关系,采用问卷对285名高中生进行调查.结果显示,趋近动机(Ms)与积极学业情绪和学业成绩呈正相关,且对两种积极学业情绪和学业成绩均有正向预测作用,对消极低唤醒学业情绪有负向预测作用;回避动机(Mf)与积极学业情绪和学业成绩呈负相关,而与消极学业情绪呈正相关,并能正向预测消极低唤醒学业情绪,负向预测积极低唤醒学业情绪和学业成绩.积极低唤醒情绪和消极低唤醒情绪在成就动机和学业成绩之间起部分中介效应,积极高唤醒情绪只在趋近动机和学业成绩间部分中介效应.     

Accelerating the development of formal thinking in middle and high school students II: Postproject effects on science achievement

A one-year lag was found between the effect of an intervention intended to promote formal operational thinking in students initially 11 or 12 years of age and the appearance of substantial science achievement in the experimental groups. A one-year lag was also reported on cognitive development: Whereas at the end of the two-year intervention the experimental groups were up to 0.9σ ahead of the control groups, one year later the differential on Piagetian measures had disappeared, but the experimentals now showed better science achievement of even greater magnitude. Although the control groups showed normal distribution both on science achievement and cognitive development, the experimental groups showed bi- or trimodal distribution. Between one-half and one-quarter of the students involved in the experiment in different groups showed effects of the order of 2σ both on cognitive development and science achievement; some students appeared unaffected (compared with the controls), and others demonstrated modest effects on science achievement. An age/gender interaction is reported: the most substantial effects were found in boys initially aged 12+ and girls initially 11+. The only group to show no effects was boys initially aged 11+. It is suggested that the intervention methods may have favored the abstract analytical learning style as described by Cohen 1986.     

中学生物学教学中的科学素质培养

科学素质包括科学知识、科学方法和科学思想三个方面。如果一个人只具备科学知识 ,而不懂科学方法 ,没有科学思想 ,就不能说明他受过系统的科学教育。生物学教育要实施科学素质教育 ,必须在上述三个方面全面加以实施。其主要内容包括 :科学知识 ;科学兴趣 ;科学方法 ;科学态度 ;科学精神     

The effects of microcomputer-based laboratory exercises on the acquisition of line graph construction and interpretation skills by high school biology students

Effects of microcomputer-based laboratories and level of cognitive development on tenth-grade biology students' ability to construct and interpret line graphs was investigated. Fortysix students enrolled in general biology classes at a rural high school volunteered to participate in the study. These students were administered instruments to assess level of cognitive development and line-graphing ability. Ten students that scored between zero and three and ten students that scored between six and ten on the graphing assessment were chosen to participate in the study. The 20 students were then assigned to either experimental or conventional groups to achieve a matched design with relation to gender and line-graphing ability. Statistical analysis of the data indicated no effect due to instructional method on graph-interpretation abilities. An instructional effect was demonstrated for graph-construction tasks (p < 0.10) with the conventional group outperforming the microcomputer-based laboratory group. Effect sizes of ?1.01 and 0.48 were found for graph-construction and -interpretation skills, respectively. Effects related to cognitive development were indicated with those students classified as high cognitive development outscoring those classified as low (p < 0.10) This was true for both graph-construction and graph-interpretation tasks. No two-way interactions were found.     

The effect of teacher vagueness terms on student performance in high school biology

High school biology students (n = 48) were each randomly assigned to one of four groups defined by possible combinations of two teacher vagueness conditions (high vagueness versus low vagueness) and two post-lesson conditions (test, then lesson evaluation versus lesson evaluation, then test). Each group was presented a lesson over the vascular system of angiosperms. After the lesson, each group was tested on comprehension of the material and each group completed a lesson evaluation. Teacher vagueness terms significantly affected student achievement and student perception of lesson effectiveness. These findings are discussed in relation to previous research on teaching clearly.