Relation of cognitive variables with students' human circulatory system achievements in traditional and learning cycle classrooms

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Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 46 ( 2012 ) 399 – 403

WCES 2012

system achievements in traditional and learning cycle classrooms

Ozlem Sadi

a

_{*, Jale Cakiroglu}

b

a_{Department of Educational Science, Karamanoglu Mehmetbey University, Karaman, Turkey} b_{Department of Elementary Education, Faculty of Education, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey}

Abstract

reasoning ability (RA) and achievement in human circulatory system in learning cycle (LC) and traditional classrooms (TC). In this study, Human Circulatory System Achievement Test was applied twice as pre-test and after treatment period as a post-test to both experimental and control groups. Two teachers and four classes and total of 60 11th_{grade students were participated in this} em (HCS) was r

related with their MLO.

12 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Keywords: Learning cycle, cognitive variables, human circulatory system; 1. Introduction

Researchers on science/biology education concentrated on learning how to learn and offer alternative strategies to support meaningful learning in biological concepts such as circulatory system. Learning cycle is one of these strategies and can be defined

of scientific concepts, explore and deepen that understanding, and then apply the concepts to new situations. Much research showed the effectiveness of learning cycle in

& Tekkaya, 2006; Atay & Tekkaya, 2008). According to these studies, learning cycle encourages students to develop their own understanding of a scientific concept and so promotes conceptual change while providing better understanding of that scientific implication. On the other hand, it is stated that not only instructional strategies but nce achievement. When looked at the research evidence cited in the literature, reasoning ability and learning approach are two important cognitive vari

thought patterns which are employed during the process of scientific inquiry that enable individuals to propose relationships between observed phenomena; to design experiments which test hypotheses; to determine all possible

* Ozlem Sadi Tel.: ++90 338 2262000 E-mail address: ozlemsadi@kmu.edu.tr

Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.

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alternatives and outcomes; to consider possibilities of occurrences; to predict logical consequences; to weight evidence, or proof; and to use a number of instances to justify a particular conclusion" (Steussy, 1984, p. 2).

affects meaningful understanding. Meaningful learning can be defined as having deep understanding of complex ideas or subjects. Because knowledge and understanding exist in the mind of the students, obtaining multiple perspectives can deepen the understanding of meaningful learning and its significance (Wiske, 1998). In the literature, it was pointed out that meaningful learning orientation is significant for meaningful understanding of students in science and stated that meaningful learning orientation together with reasoning abilities gives to Briefly, there are many

literature; however, few works examined the interaction of such variables and types of instructions and discussed how cognitive processes act together, and how each affects achievement outcomes (Pintrich, 2003; Wigfield, Eccles, Schiefele, Roeser, & Davis-Kean, 2006). The purpose of the present study is to extend the finding of preceding research by comparing the relationships in two different instructional modes (traditional vs. learning cycle). The prior knowledge, meaningful learning orientation, reasoning ability and achievement in human circulatory system in learning cycle and traditional classrooms.

2. Methods

2.1. Participants

The sample was 60 11th

years, with a mean age of 16, 83 (S.D=.59). There were 31 students in experimental group which was taught with 5E learning cycle instruction and 29 students in control group taught by traditional instruction. Each teacher had one experimental and one control groups.

2.2. Procedure

Experimental research method was used to search the effect of learning cycle instr

circulatory system achievement in the present study. At the beginning of the study, teachers were trained by the researchers about how to apply 5E learning cycle instructions. In experimental group, teachers used 5E learning cycle instruction and each phase of cycle, different activities were performed. In control group, teacher-centered instruction was given and students were passive learners.

2.3. Instruments

Three measuring tools were used for this study that was Human Circulatory System Achievement test, Learning Approach Questionnaire (LAQ), Test of Logical Thinking. Human Circulatory System Achievement test human circulatory system achievement. It consists of 25 multiple choice questions related with all of human circulatory system. The Learning Approach Questionnaire which was a four-point Likert-type instrument and scaled by absolutely disagree, disagree, agree, abso

from meaningful to rote (Cavallo, 1996). Finally, Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT), developed by Tobin and Capie (1981), was used to measure five modes of formal reasoning: proportional variables, controlling reasoning, probabilistic reasoning, correlational reasoning, and combinational reasoning of the students.

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3. Results

Pearson correlation analysis was conducted for each group to detect the relationships that might exist among nowledge, learning approach, formal reasoning ability, and human circulatory system achievement -test scores (PSTACH) were significantly and positively correlated with their pre-test scores (PREACH) (r=.30, p=.001), formal reasoning ability

-test scores were found to be significantly correlated with their meaningful learning orientation (r=.319, p=.000).

Table 1. Correlation coefficients among variables of the study for each group

** Correlation is significant at the .01 level *Correlation is significant at the .05 level

g of human circulatory system was related with their relevant prior knowledge and formal reasoning ability. It was concluded that students having higher prior knowledge scores and high formal reasoning abilities had better understanding of human circulatory understanding of human circulatory system was related with their meaningful learning orientation. This means that, students who have higher meaningful learning orientation had better understanding of human circulatory system.

-way ANOVA. Significant differences were found between experimental group (learning cycle instruction) and control group (traditional method) in favor of the experimental group (F (1, 28) = 2.136, p=.000).

4. Discussion

The present study reports finding about the

orientation, reasoning ability and achievement in human circulatory system in learning cycle and traditional classrooms. One of the results of the present study showed that,

in human circulatory system was related with prior knowledge. Thus, students who have higher prior knowledge had better understanding of the subject. This result is consistent with the idea of 5E learning cycle instruction. As it known that 5E learning cycle model includes 5 phases namely engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration and evaluation. Especially, at the engagement phase, teachers try to design activities which students can use their prior knowledge. The main purpose of engagement is to remind the students what they know about the subject so prior knowledge may come to the fore front of the other variables in learning cycle classrooms. Secondly, in the achievement. Therefore, high formal reasoning abilities had better understanding of human circulatory system in learning cycle classrooms.

predictors of the academic achievement (Sungur & Tekkaya, 2003; Yenilmez, Sungur & Tekkaya, 2005). The study

Group PREACH PSTACH LAQ TOLT

PREACH - .30** .070 .390** Experimental PSTACH - - 0.175 .231* group LAQ - - - .030 TOLT - - - - Control PREACH - .128 .082 .290** group PSTACH - - .319** .021 LAQ - - - .201* TOLT - - - -

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cycle classrooms.

The correlation analyses of the present study also showed that st

was related with their meaningful learning orientation in traditional classrooms. That means that students who have better attainment about human circulatory system have higher meaningful learning orientation. This result is consistent with growing body of literature. In the work of Atay and Tekkaya (2008), meaningful learning approach

Another result of the present study was related with the e

circulatory system achievement. According to ANOVA, students who instructed by 5E learning cycle instruction had better posttest scores than students who instructed by traditional instruction. This finding is consistent with the role of the learning cycle model. In general, researches in the literature stated that learning cycle instructions are suitable for getting better attainment of science achievement than traditional instruction (Colburn & Clough, 1997; (2006) explained that students who in learning cycle instruction improved their critical thinking skills significantly better than the students who in traditional instruction. Similarly, the study of Odom and Kelly (2000) showed that concept mapping/learning cycle and concept mapping treatment groups significantly performed better than the expository treatment in conceptual understanding of diffusion and osmosis.

achievement in different methods of teaching. Moreover, the results of the present study inform about the effect of learning cycle instruc

cognitive variables and learning cycle model should be taken into consideration as an important factor to increase m developers, teachers and students should consider the effect of cognitive variables and learning strategies as important predictors of achievement.

The present study has some limitations to consider in any attempt to generalize the results. First, the participants of the study were limited to 60 eleventh grade students at one private high school. Data from public schools might provide different results. Also, sample size could be larger for obtain more accurate results.

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