SEAQIS Journal of Science Education

Students' Direct and Deferred Concept Understanding and Self-Efficacy Using the Inverted Learning Approach in Biology

2024-01-31T03:54:19+00:00

The increasing availability of data and technological advancements, along with the influx of various educational platforms, reflects the evolving knowledge acquisition and transfer paradigm in the digital age. This highlights the need for educators and institutions to adapt their approaches and recognise the significance of harnessing educational technology as a powerful tool to promote the widespread adoption of flexible online learning. An Inverted Learning Approach (ILA) is an innovative pedagogical design that maximises off-class learning by providing students with access to instructional resources. This allows students to self-pace their learning and become more independent and ready for in-class activities. The study followed a quasi-experimental study, employing a two-group pre-test and post-test controlled group design. It zeroed in on determining how ILA affects the direct and deferred concept understanding and self-efficacy of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students enrolled in a biology course. The use of ILA was the treatment given to the experimental or intervention group, while the Expository Online Teaching (EOT) was given to the comparison group. A total of 287 STEM students were involved in the study and taught by the same teacher to maintain parity of conditions except for the treatment. Informed consent and assent forms were likewise collected as required by the Research Ethics Board to safeguard the research participants, monitor likely risks and benefits, and establish high ethical standards where the study was conducted. Gagne’s nine instructional events were designed in the learning plan to develop a clear instruction flow between the two groups. The students' levels of direct and deferred concept understanding were measured using the Researcher-validated Biology Achievement Test (RBAT) on the pre-test, post-test, and postponed test, and the results were analysed using ANOVA and post-hoc tests. Results revealed that students taught using ILA had significantly higher mean gains in post-test and retention test scores than those taught using the EOT. The level of self-efficacy among ILA students has also shown a significant increment compared to their counterparts. In other words, ILA significantly improved students' direct and deferred concept understanding and self-efficacy.

Student Learning Satisfaction and Academic Performance in Philippine Science High School Chemistry: A Prediction Model Building Study for Online Learning

2024-03-20T04:15:33+00:00

Learning satisfaction is a key indicator of enriching student learning whether it is face-to-face or online mode of delivery. Learning has shifted more to remote online learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This study aimed to identify the determinants of Student Learning Satisfaction (SLS) in online learning and develop a model that represented the relationship of the determinants to SLS. The study explored both internal and external determinants hypothesised to influence SLS among 169 students in grades 9-12 taking Chemistry at the Philippine Science High School Cordillera Administrative Region Campus (PSHS CARC). The internal factors included gender, academic self-concept (ASC), academic motivation (AM), interest to learn (IL), and mental well-being (MW), while the external factors comprised teacher-related indicators (Teacher), assessment-related indicators (Assessment), learning guide-related indicators (LG) and Knowledge Hub-related indicators (KHub). The study utilised Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with SmartPLS software to develop the SLS model and Academic Performance (AP) model. Both online learning platforms used by PSHS CARC, the LG, and KHub, were found to influence SLS. The external determinants (LG, KHub, Teacher, Assessment) dominated the SLS models while internal determinants (ASC, AM, IL, MW) dominated the AP model for the PSHS CARC Chemistry students. The external determinants influenced the student's learning satisfaction while the internal determinants influenced the AP of the Chemistry students. Assessment indirectly affected SLS. Another finding was that gender, LG, and ASC directly influenced AP. The results validate that online learning tools (LG and KHub) were crucial determinants in ensuring learning satisfaction and academic success in the online learning of PSHS CARC Chemistry students. The models (SLS and AP) can be utilised to evaluate and enhance the quality of online learning and the development of effective online learning strategies and policies especially regarding the use of online tools like LG and KHub.

Infusing Vibrancy into Science Learning through Weismann: An Educational Game for Learning Plants and Animals’ Reproduction Systems

2024-07-23T08:15:28+00:00

This research endeavours to develop an educational game, Weismann, designed to enhance the engagement and effectiveness of teaching and learning about plants and animals’ reproduction systems. Named after August Friedrich Leopold Weismann, the pioneering scientist behind the germplasm theory, the game aims to infuse vibrancy into the learning experience. Adopting a Research and Development (R&D) framework, the study employs sourced data from multiple channels, including expert validation assessment scales as well as science teachers and their students’ feedback on their practical experiences as users. The findings reveal Weismann to be highly valid, scoring 91.2, and remarkably practical, with teachers and students rating it at 95.9 and 83.9, respectively. These results affirm the game’s efficacy as a valuable tool for science education, offering a dynamic and effective approach to learning.

ClassPoint to Classroom Learning Enhancement: An Interventional Tool Integrated in PowerPoint Presentations

2024-08-16T01:45:02+00:00

This research investigated the effectiveness of interactive ClassPoint presentations in enhancing students’ engagement and understanding of Science concepts in Grade 8. A quasi-experimental design with a quantitative follow-up survey was employed in this study. The participants were the 50 Grade 8 students who were divided into control and experimental groups, each comprising 25 learners. The control group was exposed to regularly-used teaching modalities, including PowerPoint presentations. Meanwhile, the experimental group was employed with ClassPoint presentations. A pre-test/post-test was used to measure effectiveness, and a survey questionnaire was used to gather students’ feedback on ClassPoint. The gathered data was analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Frequency distribution. Findings revealed that the utilisation of ClassPoint presentations has significantly improved the scores of the students and is a better teaching modality when compared to the other learning modalities used. In addition, over half of the students strongly agreed that ClassPoint has increased their motivation (64%) and their engagement in the class (56%). This feedback aligned with their strong agreement that lessons were lively and interesting (64%), andClassPoint’s display slides helped them to focus and follow the teacher’s presentation better (68%). Nearly half (48%) also found these activities helpful for self-reflection on their learning progress. These findings suggested that ClassPoint can be employed as an alternative learning strategy for Science 8.

Analysing a Chemistry Lesson on Ionic Bonding: Insights from a Learning Study

2024-07-30T04:00:25+00:00

The aim of this paper is to report the insights gained from analysing an online Chemistry lesson on ionic bonding as part of a learning study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. The lesson was collaboratively developed by a group of seven high school Science teachers supported by two facilitators. Data collected includes the lesson plan, the transcript from the virtual lesson, and teacher reports. Insights were drawn from each phase of the learning study cycle – Study, Plan, Teach, Reflect. In the Study phase, the teachers came up with several presumed critical aspects based on responses to a two-part pre-test. In the Planning phase, a pattern of variation was used. In the online Teaching phase, we found potential critical aspects emerged when the students interacted with the object of learning, but this was not picked up by the teacher. The critical aspects identified from the learners’ point of view include the number of shells for each atom and the number of electrons in each shell. In the Reflect phase, we consider the role of facilitators in guiding the lesson to focus on the discernment of critical aspects. The insights gained can potentially support teachers on how to plan and analyse lessons using the variation theory of learning, particularly in the context of online teaching.