A PIAGETIAN-BASED, AUDIO-TUTORIAL, INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY AND THE LEVELS OF ACHIEVEMENT, COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT, AND CREATIVITY OF HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY STUDENTS
Abstract
The purposes of this study were to: (1) assess the effectiveness of Piagetian-based and inquiry-oriented, audio-tutorial, instructional materials in facilitating superior achievement, cognitive growth, and growth in creativity; (2) establish a predictive equation for final achievement on the basis of entering levels of cognitive development, creativity, IQ, attitudes achievement, sex, race, grade, age, and school period; (3) examine the relationship between level of cognitive development and measures of creativity. The subjects were taken from introductory biology classes in each of two high school.: Delphi Community High School, Delphi, Indiana representing a rural and white population and Gary West High School, Gary, Indiana representing an urban and mainly black population. All of the subjects were given pretest assessments of IQ and biology attitudes. Then, the subjects were randomly assigned to one of four groups following a Solomon Four-Group Design. Subjects in two of the four groups took pretest assessments of achievement, cognitive level, and creativity, while those in the remaining two groups studied biological materials of content unrelated to the main study units. Then, the subjects studied either treatment or control units. The design was such that one group pretested and studied treatment units, a second group pretested and studied control units, a third group studied treatment units but did not pretest, and a fourth group studied control units but did not pretest. The treatment units consisted of four, audio-tutorial units providing instruction over information of biological import and adopting a Piagetian-based and inquiry-oriented strategy. The control units consisted of four, audio-tutorial units providing instruction over the same biological content as the treatment units but lacking the Piagetian-based and inquiry-oriented strategy. Following the study of the units, all of the subjects were given posttest assessments of achievement, cognitive level, creativity, and biology attitudes. In order to assess the effectiveness of the instructional units, analyses of variance were performed. The prediction of final achievement was made through the use of multiple regression analysis. Pearson correlations and partial correlations were used to establish the relationship between level of cognitive development and the indicators of creativity. The major conclusions of the study follow. (1) There were significant differences between schools in favor of the Delphi subjects, probably attributable to cultural effects, in all areas except attitudes toward biology and figural creativity. (2) The Piagetian-based, treatment, instructional units were no more effective than the control units in promoting cognitive growth and growth in creativity, and they were less effective than the control units in promoting biology achievement as measured by a 50 question exam. (3) The demographic and pretest information accounted for a significant portion of the final achievement variance with the IQ pretest being the best predictor for the Delphi subjects and the Piagetian pretest being the best predictor for the Gary subjects. (4) The relationship between level of cognitive development and creativity was school and, apparently, culture dependent with the Delphi subject showing a tendency, though nonsignificant, toward a negative relationship and the Gary subjects showing a significant, positive relationship.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Science education
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