This study compared a conventional verbal mode of high school biology instruction to one augmented with laboratory activities. There were 100 students in each of the two samples (treatments). Each treatment lasted approximately 16 weeks. / Eight biology concepts analyzed in the treatments were selected for the relatively high degree of formal reasoning required in order to adequately understand the science content. / A 15-item cognitive developmental test, patterned after Lawson (1978), diagnosed 54% of the Ss as concrete operational, 35% as transitionally formal, and 11% as formal operational. The relative effectiveness of the two instructional treatments was assessed across these three cognitive ability levels. / The dependent variable was achievement expressed in terms of mastery on unit (concept) tests and the independent variables were the two instructional treatments. Cognitive ability levels, assessed as being of nominal scale strength, served as the control variable. Three-dimensional contingency tables (2 x 3 x 2) were used to assess interactions and Chi-square values were derived to test the null hypotheses of mutual and partial independence among the variables. Zero-order gamma coefficients were used to express the strength of association among the variables. / Results indicated that the two treatments did not differ in their effectiveness in promoting mastery of formal biology concepts across cognitive ability levels. A strong relationship was found between mastery and cognitive ability level--i.e., high cognitive ability level favored mastery. It appears that conventional use of typical biology laboratory activities does little to foster the achievement of abstract concepts, as measured by paper-and-pencil exams. It might be that similar activities using different instructional strategies would be more effective in promoting the learning of abstract biological concepts with concrete operational students. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-01, Section: A, page: 0114. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75478 |
| Contributors | FIELDS, STEPHEN CLAYTON., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 331 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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