Do Learner Centered Strategies Improve Student Learning

1
Do Learner Centered Strategies Improve Student
Learning?

• Regina Rei Lamourelle, Ed.D
• Human Development
• Santiago Canyon College
• April 20, 2007

2
Problem Statement

• Do Learner-Centered Teaching Strategies Improve
  Students Understanding of Child Development
  Course Content
• The question is whether or not WebQuests
  facilitate learning among child development
  students

3
Assumptions and Hypotheses

• WebQuests will positively influence how students
  use and understand child development information
• Students success rates passing the class with a
  grade of C or better will be statistically
  significant

4
Student Demographics

• African-American 00(RG) 00(CG)
• Asian/Pacific Islander 4(RG) 14(CG)
• Latino 44(RG) 29(CG)
• Caucasian 48(RG) 45 (CG)
• Other 2(RG) 10 (CG)
• Decline to State 2 (RG) 2(CG)

5
About the Students (Contd)

• In addition, students were mainly females
  between the ages of 18-21
• Enrolled into HD107, a college transfer
  course in child development majors for general
  education requirement, sociology, psychology and
  child development.

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What Was Done. . .

• Two groups of human development students were
  selected for the study.
• Students were similar in age (18-21) and
  ethnic composition
• The Control Group (CG) received traditional
  homework assignments.
• The Research Group received (4) WebQuests for
  homework assignments.
• Genetics
• Prenatal Development
• Language Development and Cognition
• Brain Development
• Both Groups- Quizzes, Midterm, Term Project,
  Final Exam
• Learning Style Surveys
• I Could Have Done Better . . .

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Assessments

• Tests- Multiple Choice/ True False
• Scantron Scored
• Rubrics were used to score
• WebQuests
• Term Projects
• Final Exam
• Rubric Format created from template at
• http//rubistar.com/

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About Rubrics

• Rubrics were developed to measure how well
  students integrated course or WebQuest outcome
  into the outcome project expected.

Example
One category showngt For this WebQuest Other
categories graded were Sources, Knowledge
Gained, Graphics Pictures, Spelling and
Proofreading, Writing-Grammar, Organization,
mechanics, Attractiveness, Vocabulary
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The Technology Treatment. . .
WebQuests

• A WebQuest is a scaffolded learning structure
  that uses links to essential resources on the
  World Wide Web and an authentic task to motivate
  the students' investigation of a central,
  open-ended question, development of individual
  expertise and participation in a final group
  process that attempts to transform newly acquired
  information into a more sophisticated
  understanding.

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WebQuests Contd

• The best WebQuests do this in a way that
• Inspires students to see richer thematic
  relationships
• -Facilitates a contribution to the real
  world
• learning
• -Reflect on their metacognitive
• processes
• The Student WebQuest- Marcia Yoder (1999)
• http//www.lesley.edu/faculty/myoder/webquest.pd
  f

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Deviations from the Plan

• The original plan was for the students to use
  WebQuests in the classroom and homework
  assignments but the anticipated classroom
  computers did not materialize

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Data Analysis

• Inferential Statistics t- test to evaluate means
  and to ascertain the significance of the result
  using plt.05
• Descriptive statistics
• Analyze survey and participation results
• Means
• Standard Deviation
• Tables
• Percent

Subjective Measures Observations and
anecdotal notes
13
Results

• The research premise, that WebQuests increase
  student performance was not supported
• Results varied little or there was no
  significant difference in the CG and RG for the
  measures used to evaluate most of the WebQuests.
• However, CG did significantly outperform the
  RG on one WebQuest, Genetics.
• CG M36.9 and 5.11SD
• RG M 32.17 and 6.14SD

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Comparison of WebQuest
Performance
Comparison Means of WebQuests
Learning styles
Significant at plt.05
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Significant Group Characteristic

• However, the difference in group composition for
  learning styles as assessed using Diablo Valley
  College's Learning Styles for college was
  significant.
• Instrument located at
• http//www.metamath.com/lsweb/dvclearn.htm

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Results of Group Learning Styles Survey
Significant at plt0.05
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Other Observations

• Control Group
• Less absences and tardies
• 72 were 4 year college bound
• 60 attended study session
• More word processed work
• 6 never participated in class discussions
• 91 read course text
• Average Group Grade/B

• Research Group
• More absences and
• tardies
• 54 were 4 year college bound
• 40 attended study session
• More handwritten work
• 29 never participated in class discussions
• 77 read course text
• Average Group Grade/C

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Observations( contd)

• RG students reported that they liked the WebQuest
  format and 79 RG students felt WebQuests helped
  them learn more even though their performance on
  tests did not substantiate this finding.
• 98 Had never used WebQuests before
• 48 Preferred traditional homework

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Implications Future Research

• Might work better with students who have similar
  motivation and basic skills
• Tests should reflect the WebQuest
• Student should have access to class computer if
  they are going to learn to use technology
  effectively for instructional format
• Further research is warranted because students
  responded favorably to this format as increasing
  overall understanding and interest.

20
Implications Future Research

• Students with inadequate basic skills cannot be
  expected to learn at the same level as the
  prepared students
• Community college should screen all students in
  transfer classes and make appropriate remedial
  recommendations
• Access does not equal performance
• Further student research should be done on how
  learning style preference affects performance in
  college classes