THE EFFECT OF STUDENT-GENERATED ANALOGIES ON ACHIEVEMENT IN AN AUDIO-TUTORIAL BOTANY COURSE
Abstract
This study investigated the improvement of achievement in an Audio-Tutorial botany program using one variable, student-generated analogies. The purpose of this study was to determine if undergraduate students could increase their level of achievement by incorporating analogies into the instructional setting. Their performance in the course was then evaluated and compared to other members of the course. University botany students (n = 530) were randomly assigned to three groups. One group was required to produce three analogies per week in relation to their weekly botany information; the second group interacted with the same instructors as the first group but were not required to make analogies; and a third group, not required to make analogies interacted with different instructors. Analysis of variance and t-tests were used to analyze the data on six achievement instruments. Comparing means and searching for variance within groups yielded no significant difference among the three groups. Based on the results of the study, it is the contention of the author that students who are capable of producing analogies, linking past to present experiences, perform no better on achievement measures than those students who do not make analogies. Although most results yielded higher means for the analogy group, statistically the results were not significant.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Science education
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