The Effects of Traditional Learning and a Learning Cycle Inquiry Learning Strategy on Students'...

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THE EFFECTS O F TRADITIONAI. LEARNING ANI> A LEARNING CYCI.C

INQUIRY l„EARNING STRATEGY ON STUDENTS’ SCIENCE

ACHIEVEM ENT AND ATTITUDES TOW ARD

ELEM ENTARY SCIENCE

A Dissertation Presented to

The Faculty o f the College o f Education of

Ohio University

In Partial Fulfillment

O f the Requirement for the Degree

Doctor o f Philosophy

by

All Ebrahini

June, 2004


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I'his dissertation has been approved

for the Department o f Teacher Education

and the College o f Education by

Protessor o f Teacher Education

Dewfof the College o f EducaM i


DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my dear parents, may it make them

proud o f me. Thanks are also due to my kind, dear, and patient wife for her

encouragement with beneficial knowledge and experience to complete this study. Also,

to my three precious children— Afnan, Saiid, and Falimah - I offer my research as a

dedication to all o f you in hope that you too will continue to search for the truth that, leads

you to a deep and rich faith in God’s power.

Ill


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

1 would like to express my appreciation to all of those who have helped me

throughout the course o f this study. During the entire length o f the present research, one

person has been a protessor, advisor, director toward success, and supporter to finish up

my academic journey with excellent experiences: Dr. Ralph Martin. Thank you. Dr.

Martin. You have been one o f the best examples of university teaching and educating.

I would also like to fiuther acknowledge Dr. Colleen who was flexible,

sympathetic, and emboldened to me to do my best in getting the most 1 could out o f rny

endeavors. I would also like to offer my .sincere appreciation to Dr. Brooks and Dr.

Franklin, who provided meaningful advice and encouragement enabling me to complete

my mission. Finally, I gratefully acknowledge all professors and colleagues for their

teaching and friendship during my stay in the United States.

IV


Table of Contents

Page

Dedication.............................................................................................................................. ...iii

Acknowledgment...................................................................................................................... iv

List o f Tables.............................................................................................................................viii

List o f Figures............................................. ............................................................................. ix

I. Introduction............................................................................................................................1

An Overview o f the Educational System in the State o f Kuwait............................. 4

The Purpose o f the Study............................................................................................... 9

Signi ficance o f the Study................................................................................................9

Statement o f the Problem................................................................................................10

Research Questions..........................................................................................................II

Statistical Hypotheses..................................................................................................... 11

Assumptions..................................................................................................................... 12

Definition o f Terms......................................................................................................... 12

Limitations o f the Study................................................................................................. 15

Outline of the Study........................................................................................................ 16

II. Literature Review.................................................................................................................18

Introduction.................................................................................. 18

Traditional Learning Strategies.....................................................................................21

Effect on Students’ Academic Achievement................................. 23

Effect on Students’ Attitudes........................................................................................ 25

inquiry Learning Strategies........................................................................................... 26


Effect on Students’ Academic Achievement..................... 29

Effect on Students’ Altitudes........................................................ 35

A Comparison o f the Effect o f Inquiry f.earning and 1’raditional .[..earning Strategies

on Students’ Academic Achievement and Attitudes Toward Science.....................41

Summary. ................................................................................. 50

III. Methodology....................................................................................................................... 52

.Introduction.................................................................................................... 5.2

Statistical Hypotheses.......................................... 52

V ariables..........................................................................................................................53

Population and Sample...................................................................................................54

Subjects.............................................................................................................................54

Setting...............................................................................................................................57

Instruments.......................................................................................................................59

Validity and Reliability o f the Instruments................................................................. 61

Validity o f the Instmments............................................................................................ 62

Reliability of the .Instruments........................................................................................63

Data Collection Procedure.............................................................................................64

Data Analysis Procedure................................................................................................65

Summary..........................................................................................................................67

IV. Results.................................................................................................................................68

Research Questions........................................................................................................ 71

.Descriptive Statistics......................................................................................................71

Data Analysis.................................................................................................................. 72

VI


The Assumptions o f M ANOVA ............................................. ........................ 74

The Overall Multivariate Result................................................................. ................ 77

The Univariate Result. ....................................... .....................................................81

Summary..........................................................................................................................84

V. Summary, Discussion and Conclusion, and Recommendations..................................85

Summary...........................................................................................................................85

Discussion and Conclusion................................................................. ................... 87

'Recommendations.................................................... ..................................................... 93

Summary.................................................................................... .....................................97

References........................................................................................................................ 98

Appendices....................................................................................................................... 107

Appendix A Achievement test...................................................................................108

Appendix B Attitude survey...................................................................................... 112

Appendix C Reliability Analysis-Pilot Study........................................................... 116

Appendix D Pre-Post Test o f Reliability..................................................................119

Appendix E Pre-Comparison Test............................................................................ 124

Appendix F Sample of Lesson Plans........................................................................ 129

Appendix G Abstract.................................................................................................. 133

vn


List o f Tables

Table Page

2.1 A comparison between the traditional learning and the learning cycle ........... 48

3.1 Subjects and setting o f the study.......................................................................................57

4.1 Pre-test Achievement Score Comparisons...................................................................... 69

4.2 Gender.................................................................................................................................. 72

4.3 Method of Teaching........................................................................................................... 72

4.4 Descriptive Statistic.s for the Test o f Nonnality o f Botli Academic Achievement and

Attitude.s When Utilizing Learning Cycle {iiquiry Learning and Traditional Lectxire-

Recitation Learning Methods With Both Male and Fema!e4th Grade Students.............. 75

4.5 Box’s Test o f Equality o f Covariance Matrices............................................................. 77

4.6 The Multivariate Tests....................................................................................................... 78

4.7 MANOVA Test for Academic Achievement and Attitudes Gain Scores By

Instructional Method................................................................................................................. 79

4.8 M ANOVA Test for Students Academic Achievement and Attitudes Gain Scores by

Gender.........................................................................................................................................80

4.9 Tests o f Between Subjects Effects............................................................................ 82

4.10 Gender and Method o f Teaching....................................................................................83

via


List o f Figures

Figure Page

1.1 Tlie 4-E Learning Cycle........................................................................... ....1,3

3.1 The Research Design Utilized for This Study......................... 58

4.1 The Normal Distribution o f the Students Academic Achievement..................................76

4.2 The Nomial Distribution for the Students Attitudes........................ 76

4.3 Estimated Marginal Means o f Gains Attitudes.................................................................... 83

IX


CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

Since the 1960’s, science has become a main instructional thrust in the schools of

the developing world. Kuwait is among the nations that are working to match the

standards o f the developed world, and has placed increasing emphasis upon science in its

schools. Kuwaiti educators have realized the necessity of challenging students’ thinking

in order to face and cope with the ever-changing world o f science. To meet different

challenges, Kuwaiti educators must implement an instructional approach that enriches the

ability o f students to offer reasoned judgments and creative solutions. Science should

seek to prepare new generations to adjust to modem life and thus ensure success for all.

Educators, who are accountable for producing an educated society, must adapt to this fact

and design a proper educational environment, which can move parallel with the change

and produce citizens for a new millennium.

The educational environment in schools should be a result o f effective teaching

styles. Smith (1990) states:

The way teachers teach is a very critical element in students’ learning. Delisle

stated that It’s how we teach, not what we teach that makes a lasting impact on

our students. The teaching style used by teachers includes classroom rules,

classroom climate, methods o f reinforcement, attitude toward students, and

interactions with students (p. 243).

Helping students gain proficient thinking skills to overcome situations encountered in

real life is a recent goal of science educators. For example, in 1996, the United States’

National Science Education Standards attempted to emphasize to science teachers the


importance o f engaging students in probtems that emphasize step-by-step procedures,

initiate the primary basis o f thinking, and analyze a situation by using reasoning skills

and creative abilities to link teamed knowledge with given knowledge to overcome a

specific situation (NSES, 1996). These standards indicate that:

Effective teachers continually create opportunities that challenge students and

promote inquiry by asking questions. Altliough open exploration is useful for

students when they encounter new materials and phenomena, teachers need to

intervene to focus and challenge the students, or the exploration might not lead to

understanding. Premature intervention deprives students o f the opportunity to

confront problems and solutions, but intervention that occurs too late risks

students’ fiustration. Teachers also must decide when to challenge students to

make sense o f their experiences: at these points, students should be asked to

explain, clarify, and critically examine and assess their work (p. 23).

Therefore, educators have worked hard to create, develop, and introduce good science

education programs especially at the elementary level, because through science and

science education programs students can study the world and make sense o f it. A good

science education program in elementary schools lets children experience the joy and

excitement o f finding answers, solving problems, doing meaningful activities, posing and

responding to thoughtful questions, and seeking answers by applying investigative

techniques.

Efforts to reinvent education in the sciences have been done over the ptist 25

years. Learning to learn became the major policy common to all countries that sought to

transform science education. This new way o f teaching helped the student to know how


3to apply the ability to majnage and put science knowledge to work in resolving personal,

social, and economic problems and issues (Hurd, 2000),

Recently, inquiry learning has become a major goal o f instniction in science. As

a goal this learning seeks to engage students in a proactive concept o f science

information, one tliat has meaning in human affairs and is supported by curricula that can

be experienced. “The education challenge is a matter o f how to access, synthesize,

codify and interpret science information into a working knowledge that can be used in

personal and civic contexts, a lived curriculum” (Hurd, 2000, p. 282).

In spite o f almost a century o f thought and action, much science teaching still fails

to result in students understanding and using science (Gallagher, 2000). This gap is

widened i f we take gender into consideration. As positive attitudes are the way to higher

scores on achievement tests, numerous studies have suggested that many students,

especially females, associate science with negative feelings and attitudes, which

discourage them from continuing with science inquiry (Weinburgh, 2000). The end

result is that both boys and girls come away from science courses at a high school or

university with an understanding of, or a capability to use, science. So many students

develop fear and dislike for science and a firm commitment not to study it further. Taking

a look into most classrooms where science is taught at a school or university will show

that memorization, not understanding, is the prominent operational goal. Most o f the

instruction in science focuses on helping students amass information about scientific

ideas through teacher lecture and student recitation, but neither foster the development of

understanding o f these ideas, nor does typical instruction help them learn how to apply

the concepts outside o f school in the real world in which they live. Gallagher (2000)


stated that application o f knowled,ge is a central part o f learning because o f the

following reasons:

1. Students identify practical applications o f concepts.

2. Application and experiences help the students make connections between

concepts and “real world” experiences in ways that enrich their mderstanding

o f the concepts.

3. Knowledge o f one set o f concepts forms the foundation for learning about

other concepts.

In this study, the researcher compared the impact o f traditional learning strategies

and an inquiry learning strategy on students’ academic achievement and attitudes toward

science. In Kuwait “traditional” learning consists o f teacher lecture and student

recitation. While there are many inquiry methods, this study investigated the effects o f

the 4-E learning cycle.

An Overview o f the Educational System in the State o f Kuwait

Kuwait is located at the northwestern corner o f the Arabian Gulf, i.e., at the

northeast comer o f the Arabian Peninsula. On the east Kuwait is bounded by the Arabian

Gulf. Saudi Arabia borders on the south and southwest. Its area is about 6200 square

miles, with a population o f 2 million. Only 45 % o f the population are Kuwaitis, while

the rest o f the population comes from over 120 different countries o f the world.

Education represents the basic background for inclusive progress. The Kuwaiti

government realized that human resources are the most important factor in the

development o f the country. Productive output o f such realization leads to hasty progress

in all educational stages beginning in kindergarten through to the university level


5(Ministry o f Planning, the Stale o f Kuwait, 1985), The government o f Kuwait is paying

the utmost attention to this need by spending more than 12% o f its annual income on

education. This philosophy is reflected in the following constitutional provisions, which

define the role o f the state regarding the educational process:

Article 10:

The state cares for the young and protects them from exploitation and from moral,

physical, and spiritual neglect. (The Constitution o f the State o f Kuwait, 1962, p, 7)

Article 13:

Education is a fundamental requisite for the progress o f society, assured and

promoted by the state. (The Constitution o f the State o f Kuwait, 1962, p. 7)

Article 40:

Education is a right for Kuwaitis, guaranteed by the State in accordance with law

and within the limits o f public policy and morals. Education, in its preliminary stages,

shall be compulsory and free in accordance with law. Law shall lay down the necessary

plan to eliminate illiteracy. The State shall devote particular care to the physical, moral,

and mental development o f the youth. (The Constitution o f the State o f Kuwait, 1962, p.

11).

Historically most schools in Kuwait were religiously oriented. The mosques

played the greatest role in educating people in general, and youth in particular. At that

time the main curriculum was the Holy Quran, basic mathematics, reading, and writing.

In 1911, the first fonnal school, Al-Mubarakiah, was established. This school was

supported by donations from merchants and tradei s. In 1921, the second public school,

Al-Ahmadia, was established to serve more people and to increase the number of subjects


6in the curriculum. In Al-Ahmadia school teachers began teaching the English language,

besides other subjects such as history and geography. In 1936, a Board o f Education was

founded. Since that date, there has been increased interest in education. The Board of

Education started its work by requesting qualified teachers from Palestine to develop and

assist witli work in the schools.

Formal female education started in 1937. Previously, women who were interested

in teaching the Quran and literacy taught girls in their homes. By 1938, Kuwait had

started sending students abroad for higlier studies. In 1942, secondary or high school

education commenced. Today, females are taught the identical curriculum as males, but

in separate female schools.

Education in the modem sense started after the founding o f tlie Ministry of

Education immediately after Kuwait’s independence in 1961. The states accepted the

responsibility to provide free education to every Kuwaiti from kindergarten to the

university level, including vocational and professional education.

In 1965, a law was issued by the government adopting universal compulsory

education for every Kuwaiti child up to age 18, which covers kindergarten, the

elementary level, the intermediate level, and the secondary level.

The educational system’s educational ladder includes the following stages:

1. Kindergarten: A two-year course ages 4-6.

2. Elementary: A four-year course ages 6-10.

3. Intennediate: A four-year course ages 10-14.

4. Secondary: A four-year course ages 14-18.

5. University study at the University o f Kuwait.


7In addition to the above-mentioned stages, tliere are many institutions tliat accept

students from both sexes either after the intermediate stage or after the seconda,ry stage

such as:

1. Technical school, after the intennediate level.

2. Commercial Secondary school, after the intermediate level.

3. Religious Institute, after the secondary level

4. Commercial Institute, after the secondary level

5. Health Institute, after the secondary or the intennediate level

6. Special Education Institute.

7. Teacher Training Institute, after the secondary level

8. Technical and Vocational Institute, after the secondary level

From the start, the Ministry o f Education was highly centralized. It directly

controlled the schools and educational units. The system of education and teaching in

Kuwait was designed to employ traditional teaching approaches. In Kuwait lecture is the

primary means o f delivering information to the students, making the classroom teacher

centered. Johnson and Johnson (1983) state, “In an individualistic (traditional) structured

learning situation, students’ goal attainments are unrelated and independent; when one

student achieves his or her goal, the goal attainment of other students is unaffected” (p.

324). As a result, traditional educators built the learning process based on a centralized

teacher method such as lecture and recitation. To illustrate, Hwong, Caswell, Johnson,

and Johnson (1993) state, “Within individualistic learning situations, students receive

assignments from the teacher, do not interact with each other, and request assistance only


8from the teacher and do not bother classmates” (p. 56). The Ministry o f Education has

followed the traditional methods by focusing on teacher-centered classroom,.

Some educators adhere to a traditional system o f teaching due to its positive

ejffects on student’s academic achievement. This method is considered positive because

some educators believe that student achievement is best when content is predictable and

manageable. Those educators prefer to let a student sit alone and try to solve his/her

academic problem individually because they think that this individuality helps the student

feel a part o f the problem; therefore, students will know what they need in order to figure

out an appropriate solution to that problem. Although Kuwaiti educators aspire to

improve their scientific knowledge and become current with the most recent

developments, the traditional instructional methodology o f teacher lecture and student

recitation has solid and empirical roots in the Kuwaiti science classrooms. This

methodology places strong emphasis on the maximization o f time spent studying a

subject. In fact, many Kuwaiti teachers think that elementary achievement is more o f a

fimction o f time invested than o f critical analysis.

Educators in Kuwait value the traditional method, but they also recognize the

importance o f being globally competitive by using contemporary teaching methods.

Because o f this, changes in Kuwaiti education are now becoming more evident. Many

schools have begun to utilize new methods o f instruction, such as inquiry learning

strategies, to produce students who are able to fulfill the essential purpose o f education in

Kuwait, which is educating students as well as socializing them.


The Pur|)ose o f the Study

The major purpose o f the study was to detect the impact o f iiiqiiiry learning or

traditional learning (lecture-recitalioii) strategies on students’ academic achievement and

attitudes toward elementary science classes by answering the following question: To

what extent do inquiry learning and traditional learning strategies affect students’ science

achievement and attitudes in elementary science classes in the State o f Kuwait? The 4 -E

learning cycle inquiry method was selected for this study because it seemed most capable

o f helping students to conceptualize, problem solve, and apply learning through essential

experiences that make connections between the student’s world and the larger “real

world.” Other methods such as the scientific teaching method and Suchman’s inquiry are

considered methods o f inquiry. The 4-E learning cycle; however, is viewed as a better

choice because it parallels the way a child develops in the way that it is structured.

Significance o f the Study

This study is significant because it applies a contemporary teaching style o f

elementary science, namely, learning cycle inquiry leaming, to Kuwaiti classrooms,

which have used a more traditional lecture-recitation approach in the past. The research

has shown that in American classrooms, leaming cycle inquiry leaming methods result in

better concept retention than the traditional lecture-recitation approach to teaching. This

study sought to determine if the same results are trae in Kuwaiti schools. Also, this study

compared the two methods of teaching to examine their effectiveness in students’

academic achievement and attitudes in science classrooms.

This study may provide data to the Ministry o f Education o f Kuwait that can be

used as a basis for decisions regarding curriculum and instruction in elementary science


10classrooms in Kuwait. Further, if the results o f the use o f learning cycle inquiry

leaming or traditional lecture-recitation strategies are positively signiicaiit in regard to

students’ academic achievement and attitudes, the researcher will suggest to the educatoi*s

at the Ministry o f Education in Kuwait that the most effective strategies be used in

teaching elementary science tltroughoiit the country. Thus, the fmdings o f tliis study may

offer support to maintain the status quo or change the teacMng procedures o f elementary

science in the State o f Kuwait in the future.

Statement o f the Problem

It must be emphasized that students’ academic achievement and attitudes are

essential outcomes o f the educational system. Improvement in these outcomes can occur

when teachers utilize the most effective teaching strategies. In Kuwait, traditional

lecture-recitation instruction dominates science classes. Often, instruction centers on

students memorizing and reciting material lectured by the instructors. Students usually

sit in unmovable and uniform rows. Although this instructional approach is intended to

enable students to understand scientific concepts, students neither creatively inquire

about the subjects, nor are they able to explain or describe subjects other than in the same

manner as they have been presented. Students end up as only passive listeners instead o f

participants in the lessons.

This study investigated two methods o f teaching: a science leaming cycle

inquiry leaming method and traditional lecture-recitation learning, and the impact o f each

on students’ academic science achievement and science attitudes. This study also

investigated the differences in attitude toward and achievement in science between boys

and girls in the State o f Kuwait.


11Research Questions

The study investigated the following questions:

1. Are there significant differences between the leaming cycle and lecture-

recitation methods in fourth grade on students’ academic achievement and

attitudes toward science classes?

2. Are there significant differences between gender in the fourth grade on

students’ academic achievement and attitudes toward science classes?

3. Is there an interaction between gender and tlie instractional methods used?

Statistical Hypotheses

Null Hypothesis Number One (H oi)

There is no significant difference in students’ academic achievement and

attitudes with respect to the methods o f teaching: traditional lecture-recitation

leaming versus leaming cycle inquiry leaming.

Altemative Hypothesis One (H a I )

There is significant difference in students’ academic achievement and

attitudes with respect to the methods o f teaching: traditional lecture-recitation

learning versus leaming cycle inquiry leaming.

Null Hypothesis Number Two (Ho2)

There is no significant difference between the gender on students’

academic achievement and attitudes toward teaching science.

Altemative Hypothesis Two (H a2)

There is significant difference between the gender on students’ academic

achievement and attitudes toward teaching science.


12Null Hypotheses Number Three (Ho3)

There is no significant interaction between gender and the instractional

methods used on students’ academic achievement and attitudes.

Altemative Hypothesis Three (H a3)

There is significant interaction between gender and the instmctional


Assumptions

1. The size o f the sample was adequate for answering the proposed questions.

2. The collection procedures were appropriate and did not alter the study

findings.

3. Respondents answered all questions trathfully.

4. Teachers had knowledge o f the difference between leaming cycle inquiry

leaming and traditional lecture-recitation learning strategies.

5. The sample was satisfactory to represent the population.

6. The instructor did not present any bias towards any group or instructional

style during the process of instruction.

7. The instrument measured what it was designed to measure.

Definition o f Terms

Learning cycle: The Learning Cycle Approach is an inquiry-based teaching model

derived from constructivist ideas of the nature o f science, and the developmental theory

of Jean Piaget (Piaget, 1970). The leaming cycle is a method for developing and planning

lessons, teaching, and leaming, which is based on ways o f thinking and acting that

corresponds to the way a child learns. Developed from the original leaming cycle


13designed for the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS), the 4-E learning

cycle includes; exploration, explanation, expansion, and evaluation as

illustrated in the following figure.

Figure LI The 4-E Learning Cycle

I “ h v • - i w f J n * . *

rhi5‘?̂r.al< :-r::i H . •»: !»•••.* M. - I l ' f I !.‘1 ■

tteUs 'Ji: f l f e c E<‘!t.!URtiar» j J t f

: 11 1 ■ I C : • ; VI. i i I ■■■>' }

1- !■ I • I- ' ■ . . J

\ ^ ^t K(\ |'d» •• ,« •

(Martin, Sexton, and Gerlovich, 2001).

Inquiry Based leaming strategies: Inquiry based leaming strategies involve students

asking questions about science related subjects and their finding answers to those

questions. It utilizes traditional scientific methods such as hypothesizing, interpreting,

and theorizing. Hebrank (2000) defines inquiry based leaming strategies as follows:

Inquiry based leaming is a way o f acquiring knowledge through the process o f inquiry.

In inquiry based leaming, students either ask their own questions or are posed a question

by the teacher. In the fomier case the question concerns a topic the students wish to team

about, and in the latter case the question concems a topic the teacher wishes students to

leam about. Regardless of the source o f the question, inquiry based learning requires that


1 4students play a major role in answering the question. This can occur tlirough designing

and executing controlled experiments, making measurements and observations, or

building and testing models, (p .l) Martin, Sexton, Wagner, and Gerlovich (1997) state

that children are able to inquire when they are given hands-on learning opportunities,

appropriate materials to manipulate, puzzling circumstances or problems for motivation,

enough structure to help them focus or maintain a productive direction, and enough

freedom to compare ideas and make personal learning discoveries.

Traditional learning strategies: Traditional learning strategies refer to teacher lecture and

student recitation. This strategy gives students the opportunities to do their tasks in

science class without interaction. Lecture-recitation learning is a teaching style that is

widely utilized in the State o f Kuwait. It involves a large amount o f memorization and

working out well-defined problems. Further, Johnson, Johnson, and Holubec (1986)

point out a definition for lecture-recitation learning strategies as follows:

Students work by themselves to accomplish learning goals unrelated to those o f

other students. Individual goals are assigned each day, students’ efforts are

evaluated on a fixed set o f standards, and rewards are given accordingly.

Academic achievement: Academic achievement is the outcome that students acquire

after the leaming process. It is measured by the score attained on the achievement tests

designed by die researcher. According to (Johnson, 1992) achievement refers to the

traditional indices o f the degree to which a student has encountered success in school.

They may include school grades, grade point average, rank in a class, scores on

•standardized achievement and aptitude tests, and other scaled indicators used within the

school setting to document and report the level o f academic progression.


15Attitude: Attitudes are defined as: predisposition or tendency to react specifically

towards an object, situation, or value: usually accompanied by feelings and emotions;

attitudes cannot be directly observed but must be inferred from overt behavior, both

verbal and nonverbal” (Good, 1973, p. 49). Attitudes are what students bring to the table

when they take a science class, Martin (1984) talks about three main factors in regard to

the importance o f student attitudes.

1. The student’s attitude carries with it a mental state o f readiness.

2. Attitudes are not innate or inborn.

3. Attitudes result ftom experience, which act as factors that guide a child when

he or she enters into a new experience.

These factors then affect the students’ outcomes.

Limitations o f the Study

The system o f education in Kuwait is not co-education. The researcher separately

selected two fourth grade classes from boys’ schools and two fourth grade classes from

girls’ schools. This study examined existing fourth grade students and science teachers in

the State o f Kuwait. Also, the study was limited to the following:

1. Four intact fourth grade science classes consisting o f approximately one

hundred and twenty elementary students were selected from elementary

schools in the State o f Kuwait.

2. Two elementary science teachers were selected randomly from the schools of

the state o f Kuwait in different locations to participate in the study.

3. Kuwaiti students were between 9~ 11 years old.


164. The sample o f students were chosen from existing schools, so there was not

be a random sample.

5. The pre- and posttest utilized paper and pencil,

6. The students were selected from same city (Kuwait City).

7. There were approximately 30 male students in each existent classroom. Girls’

classrooms were used or selected in the same fashion.

Outline o f the Study

This chapter provides an introduction o f the study, including an overview o f the

educational system in Kuwait, the purpose o f the study, the significance o f the study, a

statement o f the problem, research questions, hypotheses, assumptions, a definition o f

terms, and the study’s limitations.

Chapter Two provides a review o f related literature. It consists o f two main

divisions: learning cycle inquiry leaming strategies and lecture-recitation traditional

leaming strategies. In addition, each main division is divided into two parts: the effect on

students’ academic achievement and the effect on students’ attitudes.

Chapter Three provides a description o f the methodology o f the research,

including an introduction, a statement ofhypotheses, the variables, population, subjects,

setting, instraments, the data collection procedure, the data analysis procedure, and the

validity and reliability o f the instraments.

Chapter Four details the results o f the study, including descriptive statistics o f the

study’s findings and data analysis.


1 7Chapter Five concludes with a summary o f the findings o f this study.

Discussion and recommendations are also shown in this closing chapter, which is

followed by references and appendixes.


18CHAPTER TWO

Literature Review

Introduction

Science educators have developed and advocated different instructional strategies,

each designed to improve the quality o f leaming and its outcome. The effectiveness o f

these strategies and their impact on students’ attitudes are still under debate due to the

complexity and richness o f the leaming process as well as the natural human tendencies.

For years the dominant practice o f teaching science focused on the teachers’ lectures and

uses o f textbooks. The notion was that once the students saw problems solved,

memorized material and mastered some techniques, concept attainment was achieved.

As the results o f science teaching research accumulated, it became apparent that this

strategy was, to some extent, misleading to students’ understanding. This resulted in the

evolution o f alternative teaching strategies. For example, more emphasis has been placed

on cognitive procedures such as uses o f advance organizers, explicit teaching, and

mastery leaming that facilitate students’ thinking to overcome a situation.

Bruner (1973) suggested such an approach i n his “discovery” model o f teaching

in which broad principles and problem solving abilities were developed through

maximum student involvement and less teacher help. Bruner wanted students to discover

regularities and patterns that shape the principle that they are studying in order to

integrate different elements that produce a natural phenomenon. Bruner’s new

perspective soon evolved into learning through inquiry processes in order to make

conceptual discoveries. Welch et al. (1981) pointed out that “in an inquiry-based

classroom there is a time for doing, a time for reflection, a time for feeling, and a time for


19assessm,ent.” When a teacher divides the lesson into these categories, then better

concept attainment will be achieved by the students.

Von Seeker and Lissitz (1999) state that a teacher’s role in the classroom is to

provide opportunities for active investigation and to serve as a facilitator for student

reflection and critical thinking. In a science classroom, teachers must stimulate and

encourage students to analyze structurally the subject in order to create for themselves a

logical representation o f the given data and the ideas extracted from them. The teacher

then has two main roles; to provide students the opportunities to engage socially in talk

about shared problems or tasks, and to serve as a mediator for social discourse and then

to lead the students to conventional science ideas. Students must develop the ability to

build an understanding based on logic in order to overcome a situation or to start working

on a science problem. The theory is that when students successfully overcome a science

situation, they acquire a sufficient degree o f understanding about the concept. As the role

o f technology has increased, new teaching strategies have emerged. Von Seeker and

Lissitz (1999) also stated that teaching accompanied by demonstration helps strengthen

students’ understanding o f science phenomena. Demonstrations have become important

cognitive aids that reflect real-life scientific concepts and laws.

Global competition within the educational field, both in the U.S. and elsewhere,

has gradually increased. This competition has caused educators to focus on developing

their teaching strategies in schools in order to create students who are better able to

compete. Flynn (1995) states that “we are told that the United States faces a crisis in

global competition and that if we do not do a better job o f preparing our children for the


20new world order we will lose our preeminent economic statue. Teachers are thus

instructed to better prepare students for the new world o f work” (p. 53),

In order to successfully prepare young people and to develop appropriate

curricula for the new world competition, educators should be aware o f the new demands

o f modem life. Teaching strategies, which are important components in developing

curriculum, should move parallel with the developmental world outside schools to

produce students who are able to adjust to modeni life and work to improve quality o f life

in their country. Usnick, Lamphere, and Bright (1995) stated that “most teachers.. .need

to adjust to a new learning environment and a new teaching one” (p. 11). All the

evidence shows that the world is changing, and as a result, many facets o f our lives may

need to change in order for us to successfully adapt to the new century. Processes o f

inquiry accommodate tliese needs brought on by a rapidly changing world.

World change should primarily serve the human being. Education, economics,

politics, and media are factors that impact human life. One of the most important factors

that educators should consider is the educational environment. The educational

environment can be affected by the teaching strategies that teachers use in their

classrooms to help students gain meaningful knowledge and develop their skills. If

educators are concerned with developing human life, they should give great attention to

teaching strategies to produce strong competent individuals who are capable o f moving

parallel with global change and competition.

Dewey (1996) stated that the best way to teach our young generation lessons

about life is by placing them in real situations to have meaningful experiences. He

asserted that “the only training that becomes intuition, is that gotten through life itself’


21(p. ! 7). The more teaching strategies reflect real life in society, the more they will

assist students to adjust themselves to an industrial modem life by being able to use their

skills appropriately and by achieving their role as citizens in the best possible manner.

These intuitive principles o f learning are faster through natural inquiry-based cycles o f

leaming, commonly called le<irning cycles.

This chapter presents an overview of both traditional lecture-recitation and

leaming cycle inquiry leaming strategies, particularly as they assist students in improving

their academic achievement and attitudes toward science. Research for this chapter will

include ail school-age students through college level.

Traditional Leaming Strategies

The traditional instractional method of teacher lecture and student recitation

emphasizes direct lectures given by teachers, the use o f textbooks, other materials, and

clear explanations o f important concepts to students; occasional demonstrations and a

review o f the textbook topics also may be included. The key feature o f this “teacher-

oriented” instruction is to provide students with clear and detailed instructions and

explanations. The teacher undertakes the task o f transferring the knowledge to students

and students give back (recite) what they have memorized (leamed) (Chang and Mao,

1998).

A typical approach of most traditional science lessons, which rely on teacher-

centered methods, consists o f lectures, readings, questions and student’s answers. These

approaches are often limited to the information provided by the adopted textbook and

assume tltal: students should mainly pay attention to the teacher. However, this way of

learning gives students a mainly passive role as receivers and raeraorizers o f information


22rather than as active seekers of answers to important scientific questions (Martin,

Sexton, and Gerlovich, 2001).

Lecture and recitation focuses on mastery (memorization) o f content. There is

minimal emphasis on the development o f problem-solving skills and the nurturing o f

inquiring attitudes. The current teacher centered system o f education focuses on giving

out information about what is known. The teacher is the dispenser o f information and the

students are the receivers. Most of the time, assessment o f the learner is focused on the

importance o f one right answer. This kind of traditional education is more conceraed

within school success and preparation for the next grade level than with helping students

learn how to leam.

In a traditional lecture-recitation classroom the use o f resources is limited to what

is available in the classroom or within the school. They tend to be closed systems where

information is filtered to unrelated concepts. Students may spend a lot o f time leaming

about technology rather than using it to enhance learning. Using the whole-class

approach, lesson plans organize the various steps in the leaming process with no room for

change. On-target questions that would cause deviations from the plan are met with, “we

will get to that later” (Disney Leaming Partnership [DLP], 2001).

Most schools using lecture-recitation focus on teaching a set o f basic knowledge

and skills that may not serve the needs o f modem society. Traditionally, schools

emphasize the accumulation of information, and may not emphasize skill development or

nurturing inquiry-based habits o f mind (DLP, 2001). Modem society is fester paced,

globally networked, technologically oriented, and requires workers who can solve

problems and think critically. Much leaming, if not most, occurs after formal schooling.


23It is believed that schools that rely on lecture-recitation liave to change their approach

to education to produce students who can progress in the modem world. The traditional

focus o f education is no longer appropriate. Because the world has changed, things like

the traditional local apprenticeships are almost gone. Students must master new ways of

acting and thinking. Our society is becoming increasingly larger and more diverse.

Students must develop an understanding about the complexities o f modern life and be

able to deal with new ethical and practical issues. The young must be educated, so they

can participate as responsible members in today’s society.

Effect on Students’ Academic Achievement

In order to examine the effect o f traditional learning strategies on students’

academic achievement, Olagunju and Balogun (1991) studied the effect o f participating

in laboratory and lecture teaching methods on Nigerian eighth grade students’ cognitive

achievement in integrated science. A sample o f 210 class-two (grade 8) students from six

randomly selected classes from six Nigerian schools was divided into two (experimental

and control) groups. Data were collected using an achievement test for Integrated

Science Students developed by the authors. Student ability was measured by tests secured

from the Department o f Teacher Education. In analyzing the data, an analysis o f

covariance was employed. T-test statistics were also used to determine significant

differences between means o f different groups. They note that high achievers in both

groups had identical achievement, but the low achievers in the laboratory sections

performed better than students who received only lectures. They also found that females

receiving lectures perfonned better than the males receiving lectures.


24A later rneta-analysis by Edwin, John, and Robert (1997) compared the

academic achievement of sixth grade students through twelve who received traditional

instruction or traditional instruction supplemented with computer-assisted instruction

(CAI) in science, reading, music, special education, social studies, math, vocational

education, and English. In their study, they determined that students receiving traditional

instruction supplemented with CAI attained higher academic achievement. These

researchers also recommended using traditional instruction enhtmced with CAI.

Edward (1985) conducted a study in an attempt to detemaine if students leam

science concepts better when laboratories are used to verify concepts already introduced

through lectures and textbooks. The researcher specifically examined whether seventh

grade earth science students (N=103) introduced to science concepts through laboratory

exercises, followed by textbook readings and classroom discussions, learned and retained

these concepts better than students who had the concepts introduced through textbook

readings or teacher’s lectures followed by laboratories verification. He also examined

whether these students had a stronger preference for science than the latter group of

students. The results of this study indicated that students did experience greater

achievement and retention when directed inquiry leaming laboratories were used to

introduce new concepts than they did when the same concepts were taught using the

laboratory activities for verification.

In their study, Joseph and James (1985) investigated the effects o f analogy-based

and conventional lecture-based instmclional strategies on the achievement o f four classes

o f high school biology students (N=123). Prior to treatment, students were assessed for

cognitive ability and prior knowledge o f the analogy vehicle. The analogy-based


25treatment consisted of teacher lecture and student examination o f analogy text,

diagrams, and charts comparing target information to an analogous domain. On the other

hand, the conventional lecture-based instruction involved didactic teacher presentation of

target concepts supplemented with reading assignments from the regular textbook. The

researchers’ findings indicated that analogy based instructional methods appetir to

enhance student perfoimance relative to conventional lecture-based instruction of the

digestive, nervous, and circulatory systems; in addition, both concrete and

transitional/formal operational, students benefited from analogy-based instruction. With

both treatments, transitional/formal operational students tended to show higher

achievement than concrete operational students; concrete operational students receiving

analogy-based instruction scored higlter than transitional/formal operational students

receiving conventional lecture-based instruction. Students who comprehended analogies

showed significantly higher achievement over those who did not comprehend them.

Effect on Students Attitudes

No studies have been found to support the use o f traditional learning strategies to

empower student attitudes toward science. In order to see the effect o f traditional

leaming strategies on students’ attitudes toward science, Ernest and John (1984), studied

the enhancement o f student values, interest and attitudes in earth science through a field-

oriented approach. They found that students who experienced a field-oriented laboratory

approach had higher affective scores (related to levels of importance, interest, and

enjoyment associated with the leaming experience) than students in a traditional

laboratory setting.


26Furthermore, in order to detennine the differences between lecture-

demonstration and small-group laboratory approaches on students’ (N=74) chemistry

achievement and attitudes toward science, Harold and Nasser (1983) indicated that

students taught by the laboratory approach perfonned better on immediate/delayed post

test thaji students taught by the lecture-demonstration method. Thus, students taught by

the laboratory approach reported more desirable attitudes.

Inquirv Learning Strategies

There must be benefits o f using a specific strategy o f teaching in order to improve

students’ academic achievement and attitudes towaid science. In the National Researcli

Council’s A Guide For Teaching and Learning (2000), it is stated that inquiry has had a

role in school science programs for the last hundred years. Before 1900, most educators

viewed science as a body o f knowledge that students were supposed to learn through

direct instruction. In 1909, John Dewey criticized this by addressing the American

Association for the Advancement o f Science. He stated that science is more than a body

o f knowledge to be learned. Dewey asserted that there is a process or method to leam as

well (p. 14). Inquiry-leaming is a method of teaching that many educators encourage

teachers to use because it positively impacts students’ abilities and helps them deal with

science successfully. In Science for All Children, published by the National Academy of

Sciences (1997), the following is stated:

Science is the process by which we discover how the world works, ‘a rvay of

thinking.. .the method by which the creative mind can constract order out o f chaos

and unity out o f variety.’ It: is a process in w'hich children have been engaged


27virtually since they were bom, and it is rnin'ored effectively in inquiry-centered

science programs (p. 14).

Inquiry based leaminig is not a new method ofteacliing, and students should already be

familiar with it’s components. Science fo r All Children (1997) also states that, according

to National Science Education Standards, inquiry leaming promotes student-centered

instruction and advances the learning environment in the classroom. Inquiry involves:

making observations; posing questions; examining books and other sources o f

information to see what is already known; planning investigations; reviewing

what is already known in light o f experimental evidence; using tools to gather,

analyze, and interpret data; proposing answers, explanations, and predictions; and

communicating results (p. 8).

By using the inquiry-learning atmosphere, educators play their roles o f facilitator or

directors in the classrooms. Center stage is given to the actions and understanding o f the

students, who are an integral part o f the leaming process, as they construct meaning from

different learning experiments and participate in the learning situations to derive the best

ideas from them. However, a definition o f inquiry leaming strategies is illustrated by

Martin, Sexton, Wagner, and Gerlovich (1997) as follows:

Inquiry means the use o f the processes o f science, scientific knowledge, and

attitudes to reason and to think critically. As described by the standards, inquiry

assists in constructing an understanding o f scientific concepts, leaming how to

learn, becoming an independent and life-long learner, and further developing the

habits o f mind associated with science. Learning outcomes for the inquiry

dimension require students to be able to understand inquiry and do a variety of


28types o f science activities in order to learn the uses and skills of inquiry and

develop a greater capacity to inquire (p. 131-132).

Thus, when students are exposed to sets o f data from a certain discipline such as

mathematics or science, “they organize the data into conceptual systems, relating points

in the data to each other; generalizing from relationships they discover; and making

inferences to hypothesize, predict, and explain phenomena. Mental operations cannot be

taught directly in the sense of being ‘given by a teacher’ or be acquired by absorbing

someone else’s thought products. The teacher can, however, assist students by providing

tasks requiring complex mental processtxs, by modeling, and by offering progressively

less direct support as the kids become more proficient” (Joyce & Weil, 1996 p. 149).

I'herefore, the need to improve methods o f instraction to promote higher levels of

academic achievement and the learners’ attitudes is one o f the primary goals in the

educational field today. It is important to evaluate the methods o f teaching that educatore

use in the classrooms in order to select the most effective method and enable students to

improve their learning. In the 1960s, methods using inquiry teaching and learning were

developed for the Science Curriculum Improvement Study. Consisting originally o f three

steps; exploration, concept invention, and application, a fourth step was added to agree

with today’s emphasis on accountability. The 4-E leaming cycle is an example o f an

updated version o f this original leaming cycle and can be best explained by the following

1. Encouraging student centered exploration where students can interact with

each other and the materials.

2. Providing teacher/student interactions to form or invent the concept through


29explanation.

3. An expansion where students can expand their understanding of the concept.

4. Providing an evaluation, which occurs either formally or informally

tliroughout the learning cycle (Martin, Sexton, and Gerlovich, 2001).

Effect on Students Academic Achievement

Recent science education standards in the U.S. propose that all students should

both learn about scientific inquiry and leam science through inquiry (NRC, 1996).

During the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, a resurgence in the development o f elementary

science curricula occurred which emphasized the use o f hands -on /minds-on

developmentally appropriate activities. Despite that fact, hands-on activity based

elementary science programs, which were developed in the 1960’s and 1970’s, have

fallen out o f favor because they are expensive and difficult to secure and maintain. These

types of hands-on activities’ however, led to increased science achievement and cognitive

development (Koballa, 1986). In addition, a quantitative study by Shymansky, et.

ai.(1983) showed that students taught by hands-on methods outperformed students in

traditional programs. Rubin and Tamir (1988) also concluded that the performance of

ninth graders students (N~135) who received the inquiry-learning strategy was

significantly and substantially better than that o f the eleventh graders who did not receive

the treatment. The results o f the post-tests were analyzed by studying the covariance

holding the pre-test scores constant. The results o f their study clearly indicated the

feasibility o f the strategy for most ninth grade students. While the advance organizer was

found to be more effective in terms of achievement for average and below average

students, practically all students liked the inquiry learning strategy.


30Studying students at the community college level who were under-prepared,

Biermaiin and Sarinsky (1990) found that students in the hands-on curriculum group

perfomted better in subsequent biology classes because the techniques used in the

curriculum foster the intellectual and practical skills necessary for mainstreaming. The

students also developed self-confidence in their abilities to adequately compete with their

peers. Therefore, the curriculum based upon hands-on experiences o f a concrete nature

appeared to work better with under-prepared students.

Schniieder and Michael-Dyer (1991) found that national studies conceniing

teaching and leaming in elementary schools indicated that more active learning with

hands-on opportunities to make meaning was needed for students. Research on the use

o f hands-on/minds on science teaching technique has indicated a positive effect upon

achievement (Mattheis & Nakayama, 1988; Brooks, 1988; vSaunders & Shepardson,

1984; Bredderman, 1982).

Focusing on the effects o f new cumculum, Shymansky, Kyle, atid Alport (1983)

reported a meta-analysis o f the i mpact o f the NSF reform inquiry-based science curricula

on student performance, and they found that the science curricula improved students’

science achievement and process skills, as well as their attitudes toward science.

Furthemiore, Shymansky, Hedges, and Woodworth (1990) employed refined statistical

procedures to re-synthesize the previously mentioned research and indicated that mean

effects on four performance clusters (achievement, process skills, problem solving, and

attitude) were significantly positi ve. Wise and Okey (1983) also found the strongest

effects for biology and weakest for earth science in a meta-analysis o f the effects of

various teaching strategies on student achievement.


31Chang and Mao (1998) conducted a study to examine the effects o f an inquiry -

based instructional method on secondary school students’ earth science achievement.

Students (N=232) were treated as two experimental groups; one receiving 2 weeks o f the

inquiry-based instruction while the control group received the traditional lecture-

recitation instruction. The data in this study was analyzed employing an analysis of

covariance (ANCOVA) on post-test scores with a pretest as the covariate. After only

two weeks o f receiving inquiry -based instruction, the result o f their achievement

investigation revealed that the experimental group achieved significantly belter than their

counteiparts receiving the more traditional approach. They also stated the superiority o f

inquiry -based instruction over that o f the traditional teaching method in promoting

science achievement. The science process skills o f students were improved through the

inquiry-based instructions emphasis on these particular skills. The difference in students’

learning o f earth science was thus reflected in the overall achievement between the

treatment and control group. Moreover, the results o f this study also supported the notion

that teachers need to encourage students to develop their inquiry skills as early as

possible in the educational system in order to promote science leaming in the classroom

(Chang and Mao, 1998).

Johnson and Lawson (1998) point out the conclusion that they reached by using

pre-post tests after their treatment o f using inquiry-leaming (learning cycle) methods on

366 students (242 females and 124 males) enrolled in a one-semester nonmajors in a

college biology classroom: that the students would be better served by courses that teach

by inquiry and focus on the development o f scientific reasoning and the acquisition of

fewer concepts. They found that inquiry students in their study not only showed greater


32improvement in reasoning ability during the semester than expository students, but

they also did better in measures o f biology achievement. In other words, nothing o f

importance seems to be lost by switching to inquiry instruction, and much seems to be

gained,

Aldridge, Lawrenze, and Huffman (1997) conducted a study o f the National

Science Teachers Associations “Scope, Sequence and Coordination project- SS&C,”

which involved a strong hands-on, inquiry -oriented study of four sciences; physics,

chemistry, biology, and the earth and space sciences on ninth and tenth grade student

achievement. The SS&C students either matched the performance o f the comparison

studejits, or outperformed them on achievement measures, which matched the NSES’s.

Specifically, on the hands-on lab skills test, SS&C students had higher scores on two of

the five lab stations; on the 160-item multiple choice scientific literacy test, students in

both groups performed equally well.

Chang and Mao (1998) conducted another study to detail two companion studies

that were designed to investigate the impacts o f an inquiry-teaching method on earth

science students’ achievement and attitudes towards earth science in secondary schools.

After eight weeks of inquiry -oriented instruction, the experimental group had

significantly higher science achievement scores among ninth grade earth science students

than did the control group. They also stated that the hands-on and mind activities used

during the inquiry-oriented instruction seemed to enhance earth science content

achievement, 'fhey provided students with first-hand experience in doing science and

opportunities to collect and interpret data and to make valid conclusions. Chang and

Mao’s study suggested that it can be beneficial for students to leam science through the


33inquiry approach. 1'he researchers supported the idea that the inquiry -oriented

teaching method should be used as a primary vehicle to assist the learning of earth

science in secondary schools. They also believed that effective instruction in earth

science, such as the inquiry - oriented instruction, should emphasize “student-centered

activities” instead o f “teacher-centered lectures” in secondary schools.

The use o f technology has also been investigated as it relates to inquiry-based

leaming. Maor’s (1991) study involved investigating the extent to which students’

inquiry skills can be facilitated through the use o f a computerized science database (Birds

o f die Antarctica) and specially designed cuiTiculuni materials. This research study

involved 122 students in seven Applied Computing classes. Students responded to the

Inquiry Skills Test, designed especially for the study, as both a pre-test and a post-test.

The researcher pointed out that an increase in students’ levels o f thinking and the use of

higher-level inquiry sldlls occurred mainly in classes where teachers initiated discussions

and where negotiations o f meaning became an integral part o f the learning processes. In

these classes, students were also able to generate higher-level questions and design

complex investigations while interacting with the database. The classes also were

characterized by significant gains in achievement as measured by the inquiry skills tests.

Examining junior high school students’ achievement and attitudes toward earth

science in Taiwan, Chang and Mao (1999) conducted another study to examine the

comparative efficiency o f inquiry -gr oup instruction and traditional teaching methods.

After the four-week intervention of inquiry- group instruction, the experituental group

scored significantly higher gains on the Earth Science Achievement test than did

comparable students in the traditional lecture group. They came up with a conclusion

Reproduced witti permission of ttie copyrigfit owner. Furtfier reproduction profiibited witfiout permission.

34that inquiry-group instriiclioii was superior in promoting students’ achievement and

attitudes toward earth science because the treatment enabled students to plan their own

investigations, gather and inteqjret data, analyze results, and share findings with their

classmates. Tliey noted that the students exposed to inquiry group instruction had the

opportunity to solve problems in a group, to share information, and to reflect on their

inferences through small-group activities and discussions. The science process skills

emphasized in this study also helped the experimental group icarn the earth scieirce

content better than the control group. In addition, Chang and Mao support the idea that

the inquiry group approach enhances the study o f earth science more effectively than

does a more traditional teaching method. They discovered that students who worked

cooperatively performed better than Uiose who worked alone. Therefore, one may infer

that the inquiry group approach encourages students to work cooperatively in small

groups and therefore helps students to actively construct their own meaningful learning

experience.

Joseph, Ron, Phyllis, Elliot, and Barry (2000) were involved in a reform effort in

collaboration with the Detroit Public Schools’ Urban Systemic Program in Science and

Mathematics and the Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools, both supported

by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Their goal was to make inquii-y-based

science, which was supported by pervasive technology tools, the basis for all middle

school science in the district. Using pre and post-tests, motivation surveys, student

artifacts, and interviews assessed the study. The researchers found that student

performance was improved throughout the implementation o f all o f the LeTlJS projects.

These curriculum projects have impacted over 2,000 students yearly across the middle


35grades. They also reported that urban middle school students leamed from an inquiry-

based science curriculum supported by technology. The achievement gains were found

in all four rich curricula units across both years in the overall scores and in the content-

based scores. The scientific process scores improved in most of the cumcula as well.

tk.ith genders also seem to learn equally well under inquiry-based learning.

Dalton, Rawson, Tivnaii, and Morocco (1993) presented the results o f their study, which

was about: the comparison o f the effects o f gender on fourth-grade students leaming in

hands-on science. In their study half o f the teachers used a supported-inquiry approach,

and half used activity-based science to teach a hands-on science unit on electricity over a

si:x.-week period. Each group completed twelve leaming experiences. They found that

there were no gender effects on the pre-test, post-test, or assessment modality.

Manhart (1998) conducted a study to investigate gender differences with regard to

three factors o f scientific literacy. The result o f his study indicates that males tended to

perfonn better than females in the constructs o f the science factor. On the other hand,

females tended to do better than males on the abilities necessary to do a scientific inquiry

factor and the social aspects o f the science factor.

Effect on Students’ Attitudes

Many studies, especially those written twenty or tliiity years earlier, noted the

difficulty o f measuring students’ attitudes. This difficulty was due to the shortage o f

valid instruments to detemiine students’ emotional reactions toward an event or subject.

The difficulty in measuring attitudes was reduced in the mid-1970s when more than one

suitable instrument to measure attitude was found. For example, Hough and Piper (1982)


36used six statements that subjects responded to by circling “yes,” “1 do not know,” or

“no” to detennine tlieir attitudes toward science lessons.

The progress in measuring attitudes has opened the door for researchers to study

an irnportant issue in education: “Can teaching approaches change students’ attitudes

toward science?” Besides understanding how teaching strategies or approaches interact

with students’ attitudes towttrd science, the outcome of that relationship may be linked to

another important element: student achievement. Some studies have been done to find

out if teaching strategies affect students attitudes in science. Khale (1985) points out that

teaching strategies significantly impact improvement o f the attitudes that boys and girls

possess toward science and raise their level o f science achievement. This American

study showed that classrooms in which visual simulations were integrated improved

students’ attitudes and interests in biology.

Kyle, Bomistetter, and Gadsen (1988) evaluated the effectiveness o f an inquiry-

based process approach science program in grades K-6 when compared with traditional

science programs. After its first year o f implementation, they found that students in the

process approach classes exhibited positive attitudes in science, developed advanced

questioning techniques, as well as increased their level of curiosity and their experiences

(Kyle et a l , 1988). As a result, forty-three percent o f the students in this study chose

science as their first or second favorite subject. This contrasts with only twenty-one

percent from among students not included in the program who stated such claims. Some

other conclusions o f this study were that the students involved realized tliat their teachers

valued their questions. The students also realized that through their inquiries they could

develop a feeling o f successfulness. Attitudes o f girls were also more positive to science.


37Most importantly, students began to feel that science was useftil in ttieir daily lives attd

their future. Hauiy (1993) also conducted a review, which concluded that inquiry-

orientated teaching can result in outcomes that include scientific literacy, familiarity with

science processes, vocabulary knowledge, conceptual understanding, critical thinking,

and positive attitudes towards science.

According to National Science Education Standards (NSES, 1996):

Scientific literacy has ditTerent degrees and fomis; it expands and deepens over a

lifetime, not just during the years in school. But the attitudes and values

established toward science in the early years will shape a person’s development o f

scientific literacy as an adult (p.22).

'fherefore, the development o f hands-on/mind-on activities had as its pmpose the

enhancement and perpetuation o f the natural curiosity young children bring to the

classroom. Aldridge, Lawrenze, and Huffman (1997) point out in their study, the high

school reform project Scope, Sequence, and Coordination that there was an indication

that the SS&C students found their science classes more motivating than comparison

classes. Specifically, more SS&C students than comparison students indicated that their

science class was motivating and that they had a “totally awesome” scientific experience

in their class.

In 1987, the Chesliire Public Schools reviewed their curriculum. They found the

existing textbook-based science program to be very dated and boring for what they felt

was a very dynamic subject. To remedy this problem, they spent the next six months

developing a mission, statement, a rationale for teaching science, a plan for identifying,

developing and piloting curricular materials, and a rationale for staff development and


38program implementation. The following year the Science Quest program was piloted

in selected elementary classrooms. Kyle, Bonnsietler, Sedotti, and Dvarskas (198S)) note

that after only one year o f the pilot project. Science Quest students possessed

significantly enhanced attitudes toward science, when compared to their counteiparts in

control classrooms, as measured by the preferences and understanding attitude

questionnaire. 'I'heir data also supported the fact that elementary students have a

preference for inquiry-oriented, process-approach science. They also revealed that over

sixty percent o f Science Quest students selected science as their first or second favorite

subject in school. On the other hand, only thirty-five percent o f the control students

indicated a similar preference.

In their study, which was designed to investigate tlie impacts o f an inquiry

teaching method on ninth grade earth science students (N-557) and attitudes toward earth

science in secondary schools. Chang and Mao (1998) also support the claim that inquiry-

learning is more effective. Quantitative data were collected on students’ pre-and post

treatment achievement and attitudes toward Earth science measures. By using analysis o f

covariance they found that students in the experimental group showed and developed

significantly more positive attitudes toward earth science than did those in the control

group. According to this study, students can leam earth science through the inquiry

approach. In addition, this finding supports the notion that effective instruction of earth

science, such as inquiry-oriented instruction, should be proposed and implemented in

secondary schools.

In an effort to improve students’ interests in. science and science courses, Avi

(1986) conducted a study to evaluate students’ attitudes toward science relative to a two-


39chemistry curriculum. These curricula were Chemistry for High Schools (CFH), and

Qiemistry-A Challenge (CAC), the latter o f which was mainly based on inquiry

techniques, concept formation, and laboratory investigation. The sample o f this study

consisted o f 1958 students from 52 lO"’ grade classes in 17 academic high schools. An

achievement pre-and post-test and semantic-differential questionnaire were used in this

study by the researcher. The data in this study were analyzed employing a Multi Variate

Analysis o f Covariate (MANCOVA) on post-test scores with a pre-test as the covariate.

The major findings o f this study indicated that:

1. CAC students’ tendency to choose science as a future career was significantly

higher than that of CFH students.

2. CAC students’ appreciation o f scientists in general and chemists in particular

was significantly higher than that o f CFH students.

3. Chemistry and science were considered by CAC students to be significantly

more important and attractive than by CFH students.

4. CAC students regaixled chemistry as a school subject to be more interesting,

more important, and less difficult than CFH students.

This study concluded that a curriculum geared to the needs and interests o f students can

help in developing positive attitudes towards science.

Many studies have been done on the effect o f gender on students’ attitude toward

science. For example, one study shows that males have a more positive attitude toward

science, are more highly motivated to achieve in science, and more likely to select

science courses as electives in high school (Hykle, 1993). Simpson and Oliver (1985)

stated that although females show general intere.st in the school environment, males me


40more highly motivated to achieve and have better attitudes towards science. However,

the most important finding in their study was the fact that males exhibited more positive

attitude toward science, while female students were more highly motivated to achieve in

science.

Kahie, Matyas, and Cho (1985) noted that boys more often than girls participated

in extracurricular science activities, but they also found that girls generally had a more

positive view of science if they have had more experiences in science. Kahle and Lakes

(1983) stated that when boys and girls are paired to do science experiments, tlie boys do

most o f the work while the girls watch. They felt that educational practices can alleviate

this and other pervasive cultural differences. Shaw and Doan (1990) in their study to

investigate the difference in attitude and achievement toward science between boys and

girls in grade two and in grade five. They indicated that there were no significant

differences between the elementary boys’ and girls’ attitudes toward or achievement in

science as a school subject.

Paris, Yambor, and Packard (1998) conducted a study to assess the effects o f a

six-week extracurricular hands-on science program in third, fourth, and fifth graders

using portfolio artifacts, inquiry-guided exploration, and socially assisted learning. They

found significant increases in students’ interest in science and significant improvement in

their problem-solving skills at all grade levels. The study showed that girls had more

positive attitudes about science and higher problem-solving skills than boys. Clearly, the

Hands-On Biology program fostered more positive attitudes about participating in

science activities for both short-and long-term goals and for activities both in and out of

school. Fiulhemiore, on cognitive measures, students showed significant learning gains


41on the problem-solving questions, which indicates that they improved fiindamental

thinking skills such as hypotheticodeductive reasoning, comparing and contrasting, and

question generating. Weinburgh (2000) also found that females have more positive

attitudes toward the teacher and the value o f science to society and are less anxious.

Males were found to have more positive attitudes toward their self-concept in science,

enjoyment o f science, and motivation in science.

A Comparison o f the Effect o f Inquiry Learning and Traditional Learning

Strategies on Students’ Academic Achievement and Attitudes Toward Science

The traditional mode o f science instniction is to deliver information; that is,

knowledge is transmitted from those who know (the teacher and the textbook) to those

who do not (the students) (Victor & Kellough, 2000). In this delivery mode, traditional

and time-honored strategies include textbook reading, formal teacher talk (the lecture and

questioning), and informal teacher talk (the discussion and recitation). However, being

told about science without being allowed to do science is like learning the alphabet

without being encouraged to put letters together to make words (Victor & Kellough,

2000).

According to Martin, Sexton, and Gerlovich (2001), texts and lectures are not all

bad. They do present important science information that is useful in addressing some o f

the National Science Education Standards content. Complete reliance upon textbooks;

however, usually means students will be deprived o f other worthy science education

goals relevant to understanding the history and nature o f science, developing science

inquiry .skills, and understanding personal, technological, and societal issues. Their study

also revealed that teacher-centered methods work well with science textbooks. In


42addition to the teacher, the single most influential factor in most elementary science

programs is the textbook. The selection o f an atspropriate textbook and tlie effective use

o f it can improve students’ achievement, skills, attitudes, and help to encourage learners

to make progress toward the national standards (p.60-62).

Victor & Kellough (2000) illustrated the strengths and weaknesses o f the

traditional delivery and inquiry learning which they named access mode. Furthennore,

the strengths o f the traditional delivery mode are found in the ability to cover much

content in a short span of time, the teacher’s complete control o f the content, student

achievement o f specific content being predictable and manageable, and the strategies

being consistent with performance-based teaching. On the other hand, Victor &

Kellough (2000) describe the weaknesses o f the traditional delivery mode such as

extrinsic sources o f student motivation, little control by students over the pacing o f their

learning, few important decisions about their learning, little opportunity for creative

thinking, and low self-esteem.

However, Victor & Kellough (2000) also discuss the strengthens and weaknesses

o f the access mode which they name inquiry learning. First o f all, they believe that the

student should understand the material more than memorizing it as one o f the strengths of

inquiry learning. In the inquiry learning classroom the student have more resources to

motivate them to leam. Students are able to make their own decisions about their

learning. Because o f this, they have more control over the pace o f their learning, and so

they develop a sense of personal self-esteem. Conversely, there are some potential

weaknesses o f access strategies. The co verage o f content presented to the students may


43be more limited. Also access sti'ategies are time consuming. Another weakness would

be that the specific results o f student learning are less predictable.

As Victor & Kellough state (2000), to be most effective, elementary and middle

school teachers should be eclectic in selecting strategies; that is, they should

appropriately select and effectively use strategies from both modes, but with a strong

focus on access or facilitating strategies. Although competent teachers should be skillful

in the use o f strategies from both modes, to be most effective science teachers should

concentrate more on the use o f strategies from the access mode.

Shymansky, Kyle, and Alport (1983) utilized meta-analysis to synthesize the

results o f 105 experimental studies involving over 45,000 students. This study focused

on the affects o f new science curricula on student performance. This meta-analysis

included 27 new science curricula with one or more measures each. They presented the

results o f their meta-analysis, which revealed definite positive patterns o f students’

performance in new science curricula. Across all new science curricula analyzed,

students exposed to new science curricula performed better than their traditional

counterparts in achievement, analytic skills, process skills, and related skills, while

developing a more positive attitude toward science. Also, studies involving new science

curricula judged to have a low emphasis on laboratory activity showed students

outperforming their traditional course counterparts by larger margins overall than those

new science curricula judged to have a high laboratory emphasis. On the other hand,

studies involving new science curricula judged to have a high emphasis on, process skills

development showed students out-performing traditional course students by larger

margins on analytic skill measures than those involving cunicula judged to have a low


44process skill emphasis. In both analytical skill measurements and in overall

achievement, students learning under new science curriculum out-performed those

learning under traditional curriculum.

Kyle (1988), in the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIIS) that

emphasizes inquiry-oriented, process approach science, used only a post-test control

group design for his study. The preferences and understanding-student version

questionnaire which was used in this study, consists o f 32 attitudinal items referenced

from the 1977 Third Assessment o f Science, which is part o f the National Assessment of

Educational progress (NAEP, 1978). The student sample is comprised o f228 SCIIS

students (54% male and 46% female) and 228 non-SCHS students (52% male and 48%

female). Kyle (1988), indicated and supported tire fact that students in inquiry-oriented

process approach science classes have greatly enhanced attitudes toward science and

scientists when compared to students in “traditional” textbook-oriented science classes.

In addition to SCIIS students being more likely to choose science as either their first or

second favorite subject in school:

1. Over seventy-five percent o f SCIIS students find science to be fun, exciting, and

interesting while fostering a feeling o f curiosity. On the other hand, over fifty

percent o f non-SCIIS students find science to be boring; thirty-three percent

indicate that science makes them feel uncomfortable.

2. SCIIS students wish that they had more time for science and more “kinds” of

science offerings.

3. SCIIS students realize that their science teachers value a high frequency of

questions and that questioning i,s important in science.


4 54. s e n s students realize that through their inquiries they develop a feeling of

successftdness.

5. s e n s students feel that science is useful both in their daily lives and in the fiiture;

they realize that in addition to gaining knowledge, being curious and inquisitive

are important aspects o f science.

6. s e n s classes enhance the attitudes o f females toward science and liieir science

classes.

Furthermore, both SCIIS and non-SCIIS teachers found their previous science classes to

be dull, uninteresting, lacking in excitement, and boring, while only mildly fostering a

sense o f curiosity. The inquiry oriented process approach applied in the classroom

apparently allows SCIIS teachers to portray a much more positive image o f science and

scientists. Kyle found that methods that integrate the learning cycle have more positive

impact on the student attitudes toward science than the traditional method.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness o f an inquiry- based process approach

science program, Kyle, Bonnstetter, and Gadsen (1988) conducted a study in grades K-6,

comparing traditional science programs to an inquiry-based approach. They found, after

one year o f implementation, that students in the process-approach classes exhibited

positive attitudes in science, developed advanced questioning techniques, and had

achieved success in their scientific learning experiences.

According to Carin (1997), today’s teachers must use aspects from all teaching

styles because o f the diversity o f students in classrooms. Teachers must select and use

whatever seems best for their students, regardless o f the name given to the teaching

function. In traditional learning as presented by Carin ( 1997), the teachers role is


4 6considered to be at the center o f the curriculum. The teacher also leads the class in a

formal or direct way without giving the opportunity for the students to explore the

materials by themselves. He or she is also considered to be the primary source o f

infomiation.

While the traditional teachers tend to ask and answer all the questions, Carin

(1997), describes the teacher in the hands-on/minds-on style as encouraging the student

to ask questions. He also guides the students to explain what tliey found during their

exploration. In the traditional teaming classroom, the students sit in immovable rows

facing the front, while in the hands-on/minds-on classroom the students sit in groups or

circles. The instructional mode in traditional leaming is through lectures and sometimes

tlirough teachers’ demonstrations. In the haiids-on/minds-on, the instractional mode is

based on using the teacher as a facilitator who guides and coaches the students.

Yet another view is presented by Martin, Sexton, and Gerlovich (2001).

According to them, in traditional classrooms, the curriculum emphasis is on basic skills

which are presented from part to whole. The information relies heavily on textbooks and

workbooks. On the other hand, the curriculum in the constractivist classrooms

emphasizes big concepts and thinking skills, which are presented from whole to part.

The primary sources in the constructivist classrooms rely heavily on students’ exploration

o f the materials. The role o f the student in traditional learning is as a receiver of

information presented by the teacher. The students also work individually. However, the

role o f tlie student in the constructivist classroom is as a thinker and they always work in

groups. The teacher in the traditional classrooms transmits information to the students,

and he/she always seeks the correct answer to evaluate student leaming. On the other


4 7hand, the teacher in the constractivist classroom provides appropriate materials in

order to help the students to manipulate and problem solve. In traditional leaming

teachers evaluate the student formally through tests. In the constructivist classrooms,

however, evaluation occurs formally and infoxmally through the teachers’ observation o f

students at work.

The following table shows a quick illustration o f the comparison between the

traditional leaming and the learning cycle as taken from the literature previously cited in

this chapter.


48Table 2 .1

A Comparison Between, the Traditional LearainE and the .Leariiinsi Cycle:

Traditional leaming Leaming cycle

Cumculutn

• Lecture

• Text books

» Inquiry by student

• Developmen t o f experiments

The role o f the student

® To receive infomiation

• To memorize information

• To seek information

• To understand and construct

meaning

The role o f the teacher

• To transmit information

(curriculum-centered)

• To facilitate exploration

(student-centered)

Assessment

• Formal testing • Formal testing/informal testing through observations o f students at work

Impact on Student• Willingly accept all information» Difficult to generate own questions• Very little real world• Individually oriented

• Prepares students more for real world situations and problem solving

® Helps student to acquire process and essential experiences

• Helps student to make productive cognitive connections between internal experiences and the real, external world

• Independent yet collaborative


49Traditional lecture-recitation leaming is about memoiiziog materials and

concepts presented to the students in the classroom, whereas learning cycle inqidiy

method is concerned with helping students leam how to leam. Traditional leaming gives

students a block o f information that they will know, but may not enable them to leam

how to apply it in the real world. On the other hand, leaming cycle inquiry method

prepares students more for real world situations and problem solving, by helping them to

acquire and process essential experiences and by making productive cognitive

comiections between intemal experiences and the real, external world.


50Siitnma.rv

The effects o f teaching strategies on students’ academic achievement and attitudes

toward science is an important issue that faces educators today. Science educators are

concerned with practicing teaching strategies that can lead students to be proficient in

science. Two o f those strategies are learning cycle inquiry leaming and traditional

lecture-recitation learning strategies, which have been a major subject o f debate among

educators- In this study the researcher examined the effectiveness o f the 4-E leaming

cycle inquiry leaming and traditional lecture-recitation leaming strategies on fourth-grade

students’ academic achievement and attitudes in science classrooms in Kuwait.

The first main division of this study examined traditional lecture- recitation

leaming strategies, which are still supported by some educators today. This strategy in

some cases also has been effective in improving student abilities and skills in science.

Inquiry leaming exists in several forms and has been shown to be an important

method o f teaching, which is being used in classrooms by many teachers up through the

college level. However, those teachers often encounter problems from conservative

educators who adhere to the traditional system o f teaching. Leaming cycle inquiry

leaming strategies are valuable in science classrooms because they help many students to

develop the necessary skills and abilities in academic achievement and to improve their

attitudes toward science.

Educators should continue searching for more effective strategies and continue

improving these strategies because the world is always changing, and students’ abilities

and skills are not constant. For these reasons, the researcher in this study tried to


51examine the effectiveness o f both strategies as they relate to students’ academic

achievement and attitudes toward science.


52CHAPTER THREE

Methodology

Introduction

The purpose o f this study was to compai'e two methods o f teaching elementary

science in the State o f Kuwait; the 4-E learning cycle inquiry leaming and traditional

lecture-recitation learning. The effects o f these two methods on fourth grade students’

academic achievement and attitudes have been investigated because all citizens are

looking forward to seeing a new generation that is more academically accomplished to

build themselves and able to build their country through understanding their missions and

tasks in school as well as real life.

The major objective o f this study was to determine: (1) die eiffectiveness o f

learning cycle inquiry leaming versus traditional lecture-recitation learning strategies at

the elementary grade level, and (2) recommend to Kuwaiti educators the most effective

method o f teaching elementary science in order to improve students’ academic


Statistical Hypotheses

The research hypotheses were formulated on the basis o f the major question o f the

study which is: To what extent do leaming cycle inquiry learning and traditional lecture-

recitation learning strategies affect students’ academic achievement and attitudes toward

science in elementary classes in tlie State o f Kuwait? These hypotheses, which were

evaluated at the 0.05 significance level, are:

Null Hypothesis Number One (H oi)


53There is no significant difference in students’ academic achievement and

attitudes with respect to the methods o f teaching: traditional lecture-recitation leaming

versus learning cycle inquiry leaming.

Altemative Hypothesis One (HaI)

There is significant difference in students’ academic achievement and attitudes

with respect to the methods o f teaching: traditional lecture-recitation learning versus

learning cycle inquiry leaming.

Null Hypothesis Number Two (Ho2)

There is no significant difference between the gender on students’ academic


Altemative Hypothesis Two (H a2 )

There is significant difference between the gender on students’ academic


Null Hypotheses Number Three (Ho3)

There is no significant interaction between gender and the instractional methods

used on students’ academic achievement and attitudes.

Altemative Hypothesis Three (H a 3)

There is significant interaction between gender and the instructional methods used

on students’ academic achievement rmd attitudes.

Variables

The independent variables were instructional methods (leaming cycle inquiiy

leaming and traditional lecture-recitation leaming strategies) and gender. The dependent

variables were students’ academic achievemen.t and attitudes.


54Population and Sample

The population under study was the public elementary students and elementary

teachers in the State o f Kuwait. All Kuwaiti public schools are monitored by the

Ministry o f Education, which is responsible for all learning institutions that are obligated

to fulfill the Ministry’s goals. All students throughout the general educational levels are

studying the same curricula in schools, A few public schools are applying both

traditional lecture-recitation and learning cycle inquiry leaming strategies. The sample

consisted o f four intact classes that included 111 students and were selected from the

public elementary schools utilizing both teaching strategies.

Subjects

The researcher requested from the Ministry o f Education to provide him with two

elementary schools one for girls and the other for boys. The two different elementary

schools were selected based on the strategies that are being used in them. The researcher

then went to the schools that were provided for him by the Ministry o f Education and

asked the administration to provide him with two fourth grade elementary science

classrooms. By comparing the achievement scores o f the four classes that were provided

by the regular classroom teacher, the researcher was able to determine that the four

classes were at the same level o f achievement before the utilization o f the two

instructional methods. The sample that was selected consisted o f 111 elementary

science students in four intact classrooms. According to statistical power analysis by

(Stevens, 1996), the suggested sample o f this study is up to 120 elementary students; this

number is determined according to the following factors:

1, Statistical procedure (Two Way MANOVA).


5 52. The desired power 0.80.

3. Expected effect size (moderates).

4. Tlie level o f significance (0.05).

To get the required sample size, the researcher selected 110 elementaiy students

from two different intact public elementary schools that were provided by the Ministry o f

Education. Also, the sanp le o f students for this study was assigned from the population

o f fourth grade science classes at public elementary schools in the State o f Kuwait. The

students in this study were between the ages o f 9 and 11.

The students for this study consisted o f four intact science classes: two fourth

grade boy classes and two fourth grade girl classes in two different elementary schools.

The educational system in Kuwait is not coeducational, so the boys’ and girls’ school

buildings are completely separated. The researcher recognized the inherent bias in this

subject selection methodology, but had to conduct the experiment under actual classroom

conditions.

Two elementary science teachers, who taught the four science classes, were

oriented to teach the science unit to students based on the strategies that were measured

for their effectiveness. The two teachers were the regular classroom teachers for the

students. The researcher gave an orientation for the two teachers who taught the four

classes. The researcher then asked each teacher to employ traditional lecture-recitation

methods and leaming cycle inquiry learning. The main purpose o f this orientation was to

plan and to discuss the best ways of using the leaming cycle inquiry leaming strategy in

teaching the unit of humans and food. The orientation session included discussions on

how the teachers could motivate and encourage the students to ask more questions,


5 6depend on themselves dnring the learaing process, encouraging student involvement in

the essential science experience which are observation, measurement, experimentation,

interpretation o f data, and prediction. This orientation helped the teachers to understand

the nature o f learning cycle inquiry lem-ning through the activities o f the students, and

assisted teachers in designing and conducting leaming cycle inquiry centered lessons

applicable to students’ varying intellectual levels. The researcher also used a visual

document (video tape) that included 4-E learning cycle inquiiy learning setting that has

been used in the U.S.A. The science unit took one month to teach. It started in

November 2001. The science class met forty-fi ve minutes per day and three days per

week. The two elementary science teachers consisted o f one female who taught the male

elementary students and one female who taught the female students. In addition, each

science teacher utilized the 4-E learning cycle inquiry leaming in their same science class

for one month and traditional lecture-recitation leaming in the other science class for the

same length o f time. Furthermore, the researcher attended each class meeting to observe

each teacher’s teaching methods to assure avoidance o f teacher bias and appropriate and

consistent uses o f the two methods.

The researcher used existing groups o f students, gave them a pre-test, supervised

the two instractional treatments, and gave a post-test after a month of teaching the unit.

The results obtained from this design depended on the differences between the groups as

they related to the dependent variables. Also, the subjects were asked to respond to the

attitude survey instrument, which measured the improvement o f students’ attitudes

toward science. The researcher went over the survey statements by reading each

statement to students and had them respond accordingly in order to help students who


57were at the lower level o f reading skill understand the meaning o f each nieaning of

each statement.

Differences in results between students may be related to gender and pre-test

scores as well as instractional treatment. Fifty percent of the students were boys and the

other fifty percent were girls. The similarities between the subjects are:

1. There were approximately 30 students in each science classroom.

2. All o f the students were in the fourth grade.

3. Each class period took about 45 minutes (see Table 1.1).

Table3.1Subjects o f the Study

A female science

teacher

The 4-E Learning cycle

inquiiy leaming settings

Traditional lecture-recitation

leaming settings

26

24

Boy elementary students

Boy elementary students

A female science

teacher

The 4-E Learning cycle

inquiry leaming settings

T raditional lecture-recitation

leaming settings

30

31

Girl elementary students

Girl elementary students

Setting

There were four groups o f subjects, each comprised an intact science class of

fourth graders. One class o f boys was instructed with tlie 4-E leaming cycle inquiry


58learning strategies and the second class o f boys was taught using traditional lecture-

recitation teaming strategies. Tlie girls groups were divided in a similar fashion.

In the traditional lecture-recitation settings, which were the traditional leaming

groups, students as usual remained in rows, especially when taking notes or reviewing

homework assignments. Students in the experimental ^oups met in the regular science

classroom. They were organized in leaming cycle inquiiy learning settings such as in

groups o f 4-6 students. Students in both settings were taught tlie same material in the

academic unit and the same science concepts or skills (see Figure 3.1).

Pip 3.1 The Research Design Utilized for this S tudv

Pretest (achievement) &

Attitudes survey

Traditional lecture- recitation leaming

The 4-E leaming cycle inquiry leaming

Posttest (achievement) &

Attitude survey

To differentiate between the two methods o f teaching, the characteristics o f each

method o f teaching were given on a sheet o f paper to the science teachers in order to

remind them in an easy way about the differences between the 4-E leaming cycle inquiry

learning and traditional lecture-recitation learning strategies. The researcher paraphrased

the National Research Council’s, A Guide For Teaching and Learning (2000),

description of some features of these strategies as follows:

1. In learning cycle inquiry leaming, learners are engaged by scientifically

oriented questions. In traditional lecture-recitation classrooms, which are


59based on using traditional learning strategies, students are only allowed to

record teachers’ infomiation.

2. In leaming cycle inquiry leaming, learners give priority to evidence, which

allows them to develop and evaluate explanations that address scientifically

oriented questions. In traditional lecture-recitation classrooms students only

memorize infomiation and they often focus only on completing the

assignment by completing all the same tasks.

3. In leaming cycle inquiry leaming, learners formulate explanations from

evidence to address scientifically oriented questions. In traditional lecture-

recitation leaming, students follow teacher directions.

4. In leaming cycle inquiry leaming, learners evaluate their explanations in light

o f alterative explanations, particularly those reflecting scientific

understanding. In traditional lecture-recitation leaming students defers to

teacher as authority.

5. In leaming cycle inquiry leaming, learners communicate and justify their

proposed explanations. In traditional lecture-recitation leaming

environments, students are encouraged to accept the teacher’s explanations.

Instruments

The effectiveness o f applying leaming cycle inquiry leaming and traditional

lecture-recitation learning strategies was determined by examining students’ academic

achievement and attitudes toward teaching science. Students’ academic achievement in

both teaching methods was measured by designing an achievement test that was given to

students as a pre-test and a post-test. The pre-test results indicated how knowledgeable


60students were about the man and plants unit in both groups (leaming cycle inquiry and

traditional lecture-recitation). The same achievement test was given to students in the

science classes after a month to measure the effect o f traditional lecture-recitation

leaming and learning cycle inquiry leaming strategies in improving students’ knowledge

about the same academic unit.

In addition, student attitudes were determined by using a survey (see appendix B)

from a previous study conducted by Martin, Johanson, Gieen and Cimanec (1991). The

researcher got permission from the authors to use their survey. The survey contained 30

items that measured the attitudes o f students towards math and science. The items used

in the science and mathematics parts were developed by the project director and by the

evaluator o f the project. Final selection and ordering was done by the evaluator of the

project to get the most content coverage with items that were representative o f the content

and laid out.

The researcher found this survey significant to use in his research for two reasons.

First, the survey considered one o f the recent instruments that designed to measure

students’ attitudes toward science in elementary level. Also, it covers the same content

that is being taught in Kuwaiti science classrooms. The reliability o f the 15 items o f

science attitudes survey is a moderate reliability coefficient o f 0.84. The survey seemed

to work well and appears as if met their needs. The researcher selected only 15 items

that related to science to measure the influence of both teaching methods in encouraging

students to leam science.


61Validity and Reliability o f the Tnstniment

The meaning o f lh.e validity and reliability o f an instrument is deftnal by Freaiikel

and Wallen (1993): “Validity refers to the appropriateness, meaningfulness and

usefulness o f the inferences a researcher makes. Reliability refers to the consistency o f

scores o f answers from one administration o f itn instrument to another, and from one set

o f items to another” (p. 138).

Regarding the validity o f the achievement test, the researcher developed an

achievement test with the assistance o f two science teachers to ensure tliat the test would

cover the major eienients o f studied units. This test involved testing o f cognitive skills,

divided into low-level and high-level skills. Low-level skills include knowledge and

facts, such as naming the parts o f plants and where food is stored i n them. High-level

skills include understanding and applications, so students should be able to distinguish

the different ways o f preserving foods (see Appendix A). Since this test is newly

invented, content validity was one of the researcher’s fundamental concerns. Aiken

(1996) defined content validity as “the extent to which a group o f people who are experts

in the material with which a test deals agree that the test measures what it was designed

to measure” (p. 256). Content validity reflects the degree to which an instrument or test

measures an intended content; it is usually determined by some experts’ judgments

(Hopkins & Charles, 1990). To insure the validity o f the achievement test, the researcher

followed these procedures;

(1) The researcher analyzed the content o f the study and defined the

main areas that were assessed. He then generated questions

conceming each area.


62(2) The researcher presented the achievement test to two science teachers and

asked for their comments to modify, change or add to the test.

Furthennore, in order to see tire reliability o f the achievement test, the researcher

discussed the grading criteria with both o f the teachers. The researcher and the two

teachers then came to agreement on the meaning o f the criteria and points values. After

they graded the test the researcher verified that the teachers followed the criteria as

previously agreed upon when grading the test. Based on the researcher’s observations

and the information from the students test grades, the researcher found that both teachers

followed the grading criteria on nmdom tests, giving similar points and answers.

Validity o f the Instruments

Validity refers to the degree to which an instrument accurately reflects or

assesses the specific concept that a researcher is attempting to measure (Aiken,

1996). The results o f the principal components analyses o f the survey instrument

which the researcher used from a previous study that was conducted by Martin,

Johanson, Green and Cimanec (1991) indicated that there is a good evidence of

factor or construct validity. They also clearly indicated that there are two major

dimensions. All o f the math items loaded on one dimension and all o f the science

items loaded on the other dimension, which means the validity o f the instrument

is good. The researcher followed some systematic procedures to preserve the

validity o f both the achievement test and the attitudinal suivey.

The survey and the test were translated from English to Arabic by the

researcher. Four Arab graduate students at Ohio University were asked to rate the

translation from English to Arabic. The rate was either poor, good, or excellent,


63and adjustaeots were made as necessary. Three .Arab ciii,ldren in the Athens sirea

whose ages are between i 0 and 11, and two science teachers from a Kuwaiti

school, were asked to assess the validity o f tlie instruments, and to ensure that the

test covered the major elements o f studied units. Those individuals were asked to

evaluate the instructions o f the instruments, such as clarity, understanding, and

ambiguity o f the survey statements or test questions. All three students gave the

researcher their responses, indicating that fliey were able to read clearly the

instrument questions and statements. In addition, they pointed out that the

instructions for the test questions and the survey items were clear and

understandable, by answering the following questions:

A. Did you have any difficulty answering this survey and test?

B. Did you understand what you should do in both the survey and the

test?

C. Did you understand all the statements o f the survey and questions of

the test?

D. Which Statements or questions were not clear to you?

Finally, two elementary science teachers from a Kuwaiti school were asked to

assess the instruments and gave the researcher a final Arabic draft. Then, the

researcher distributed the survey and achievement test among elementary students

to collect data to attain the purpose o f the study.

Reliability o f the .lnstru.ments

Reliability is an indication of the consistency of an instniment. A test is

considered reliable when the same results occur regardless o f when the test occius or who


64does the scoring (Charles, 1995). Before conducting the study, the researcher did a

pilot study by distributing the attitude survey among 51 female students in a fourth gimle

science class in Kuwait. Those students were different from the control and experimental

group students and consisted o f an intact class selected randomly from other fourth grade

classes in the Kuwaiti schools. The aim o f the pilot study was to examine the reliability

and efficiency of the instrument before distributing it to the subjects o f the study. Based

on their responses, the result o f the pilot study showed an acceptable coefficient value of

0.70 (see Appendix C). Furthermore, after the implementation of the study, the

reliability o f the pre-and post attitude surveys returned a moderate reliability coefficient

value o f 0.831 and 0. 826. Thus, the attitude survey can be considered sufficiently

reliable instrument to measure Kuwaiti students’ attitude in fourth-grade science classes

(see Appendix D).

Data Collection Procedure

Data was gathered from the achievement pre-test and post-test. For boys and girls

classes, all students were given a pre-test to measure their abilities and understanding of

the unit (Appendix A). Then, one class was instructed using traditional lecture-recitation

learning strategies to teach science concepts and skills; in addition, the other class was

taught by utilizing the 4-E learning cycle inquiry-learning strategies. After a month o f

instruction, all students were given post-test to evaluate their improvement in

understanding the science unit. All students were at the fourth grade level because

students at this level have the ability to read the test questions independently, which the

researcher used to measure students academic achievement. Also, students at this grade

level were capable o f understanding quickly their tasks and missions in either learning


6 5cycle inquiry learning or traditional lecture-recitation learning settings, which

conserved the researcher and teachers’ time.

The second instrument that was implemented to collect data is the attitudes survey

which the researcher got from previous study (Appendix B). The researcher went over

the survey by reading each statement to the students and had them respond to it. The

reason for this step is to help students who are at a lower level o f reading skill to

understand the meaning o f each statement. The boys and girls wrote their responses

about the effects o f the methods o f teaching on their attitudes toward science.

Finally, visiting the teachers; the researcher visited during the science class

periods to ensure that the teachers utilized the methods precisely and that they met their

goals completely. The researcher visited two classes out o f three every week and each

visit took 45 minutes. In this way the researcher ensured that the teachings methods

would stay consistent throughout the teaching o f the unit.

Data Analysis Procedure

In this study, the method o f testing the effectiveness o f using the 4-E learning

cycle inquiry learning or traditional lecture-recitation learning strategy was the two-way

MANOVA. The researcher used the gains o f the academic achievement test and attitudes

survey by subtracting the pre-test scores from the post-test scores. Using this technique

helped the researcher to measure and determine tlie effect o f each instructional method on

students’ academic achievement and attitudes. To begin with, the researcher oriented the

two teachers, who taught the science unit to students, to the appropriate ways o f teaching

the two strategies to students in order for the study to ftilfill its main purpose. The


66researcher aiid the original teachers discussed after each class meeting the most

impotlant issues that occurred during the class period.

The M ANOVA test measured the mean etTect o f students’ academic achievement

and attitudes with respect to the methods o f teaching: traditional lecture-recitation

learning versus learning cycle inquiry learning. In order to examine the effects o f gender

on students’ academic achievement and attitudes toward science, the researcher used tlie

MANOVA test for independent means to analyze students’ scores on the achievement

tests and responses to the attitudes survey. The researcher also investigated potential

interaction between gender and instructional methods on stiidents’ academic achievement

and attitudes with respect to the method o f teaching: traditional lecture-recitation learning

and learning cycle inquiry learning.

In the experimental groups, learning cycle inquiry-learning strategies were

employed to examine their effectiveness on students’ academic science achievement and

attitudes. Tlie classes instructed with traditional lecture-recitation learning strategies

were considered the control groups in this study.


67Summary

Chapter 3 discussed the methodology o f the completed study examiniiig the

impact o f implementitig learning cycle inquiry-leaming or traditional lecture-recitation

learning strategies on students’ academic acliievBraent and attitudes in elementary science

classes. The chapter describes the statistical hypotheses, variables, population and

sample o f the study, the subjects, setting, instrameuts, data collection, data analysis, and

validity and reliability o f the instruments.


68CHAPTER FOUR

Results

Introduction

The piiipose o f this study was to investigate the effect iveness o f two methods in

teaching elementary science; the 4-E leanung cycle inquiry method and a traditional

lecture-recitation method. The chosen sample for this study consisted o f 111 fourth-grade

students in two different schools in the State o f Kuwait and 2 elementaiy science

teachers. The students were in four intact classrooms. The students’ academic

achievements were measured by a researcher-designed achievement test given to students

as a pretest (see Appendix A). The same achievement test was given to .students in the

science classes after a month as a posttest to measure the effects o f the methods in

enhancing students’ knowledge about a common science unit. Also, students’ attitudes

were determined by administering a survey as a pre and posttest (see Appendix B). The

attitude instrument was developed by Martin, Johanson, Green and Cimanec (1991). The

researcher got permission from the authors to use their instrument, which contained 15

items that reported students’ altitudes towards science.

The experiment lasted one month, starting on November 20, 2001. Each science

class met 45 minutes per day, three days per week. The achievement and attitude

instruments were used as pre-and post-tests for all four classes.

Two out o f four intact classes were instructed with the learning cycle method and

the other two classes were instructed with the traditional lecture-recitation learning

method over the same science unit, which covered man and food. Prior to the

experiment, the researcher obtained achievement scores for all students from the regular


69classroom teachers, to assure that students’ academic achievement and abilities in the

four classes were comparable. Boys and girls classes were included in the study.

Achievement score comparisons are shown in table 4.1. The table shows that both boys’

and girls’ classes were roughly equivalent in students’ academic achievement scores in

the science classroom before implementing the learning cycle inquiry learning method in

the four intact classes.

These results suggested that the researcher could use these classes in the study to

reflect actual effectiveness o f using the two instructional methods: learning cycle inquiry

learning and traditional lecture-recitation learning (see Appendix E).

Table 4.1

Pre-Test Achievement Score Comparisons

Traditional learning Learning cycle

Boys’ 25.42 26.35

Girls’ 26.90 26.10

One female teacher taught both classes o f the male elementary students and the

other female teacher taught both classes o f the female students. Each science teacher

used the learning cycle inquiry method in one science class for one month, and traditional

lecture-recitation learning in the other science class for the same length o f time (see

Appendix F for a sample o f a lesson plan for each instructional method). The researcher

discerned the teachers’ readiness for teaching the unit according to tlie two methods to be

compared in this study. Both o f them were interested in being involved in this study and

agreed to use both teaching methods in ways compatible with the research design. The

researcher oriented the two teachers to the appropriate ways o f using the two methods


70with students in order for the study to fulfill its maiii purpose. The researcher and the

original teachers also discussed after each class meeting the most important issues that

occurred during the class period in an effort to limit bias and to assure consistent uses of

the methods. For example, the teacher, when using the traditional instructional approach

kept wanting to bring in materials, but the researcher asked her to follow the role o f the

teacher in traditional learning by lecturing only. On the other hand, in the 4-E learning

cycle classroom the researcher had to remind the teacher to talk less and have more

student engagement with the processes o f science.

The independent variables o f this study were the methods o f teaching elementary

science: learning cycle inquiry learning and traditional lecture-recitation learning and

gender. The dependent variables were the students’ academic achievement and attitudes

in fourth grade.

For the data analysis, the two way MANOVA test was used to determine the

impact o f each method on students’ academic achievement and attitudes toward science.

Attempts were made to statistically measure whether there were differences between the

two methods o f teaching elementary science learning cycle inquiry learaing and

traditional lecture-recitation learning and to what extent those two methods of teaching

elementary science impacted students’ academic achievements and attitudes.

This chapter presents the results o f the data analysis based on the statistical

hypotheses and the research questions.


71,

Research Ouesti.ons

1. Are there significEint differences between, the learning cycle inquiry learaing and

traditional lecture-recitation methods in fourth grade on students’ academic

achievement and attitudes toward science classes?

2. Are there significant differences between gender in the fourth grade on students’

academic achievement and attitudes toward science classes?

3. Is there an interaction between gender and tlie instructional methods used?

Descriptive Statistics

In this section descriptive statistics was used to present the two methods of

teaching elementary science along with their effectiveness regarding students’ academic

achievement and attitudes.

Using the techniques described in chapter three, data were collected using the

academic achievement test and students attitude survey. O f the 111 academic

achievement test and attitude surveys distributed to the fouith grade students, 98 of both

the female and male students were selected for this study. Thirteen o f the academic

achievement tests and students attitude siuweys were eliminated from the study because

the respondents had not completed most o f the items.

The number o f students who participated in this study and their percentages for

each o f the independent variables are presented in Tables 4.2, and 4.3.


72Table 4.2

Gender and Number o f Students

Gender

Number of Stiideiils Percent Valid Percent

CumulativePercent

Valid Male 4J 4.1.9 43.9 4.1.9

Female S5 .56.1 56.1 100.0

Total 98 1,00.0 100-0

Table 4,3

Method o f Teachin g and Students Number

Method of T ea ch in g

Number o f Students Percent Valid Percent

CumulativePercent

Valid Traditional lecture-rccitation 49 SO.O 50.0 50.0

Learning Cycle Inquiry leartiing 49 SO.O ,50,0 100.0

Total 98 100.0 100.0

The Multivariate and Univariate Results

Data Analysis

A two-way MANOVA was used to test tlie effectiveness o f the learning cycle

inquiry learning and traditional lecture-recitation learning strategies. The researcher

used the gains o f the academic achievement test and attitudes survey by subtracting the

pre-test scores from the post-test scores. Using this technique helped the researcher to

measure and detennine the effect o f each instructional method on students’ academic


The MANOVA test was used in this study to see the mean effect o f students’

academic achievement and attitudes with respect to the methods of teaching: traditional

lecture-recitation leajming versus learning cycle inquiry learning. In order to examine


73the effects o f gender on students’ academic achievement and attitudes toward science,

the researcher utilized the MANOVA test for independent means to analyze students’

scores on the achievement tests and responses to the attitudes survey. The researcher also

tested if there was an interaction between gender and instructional methods on students’

academic achievement and attitudes with respect to the teaching method used. This

section presents the findings o f the null hypotheses and the research questions. The

MANOVA test was utilized in testing the null hypotheses o f the study.

The purpose o f this section is to check the assumptions o f the multivariate

analysis o f variance (MANOVA) and to test the following null hypotheses as stated in

Chapter I :

H oi: Null hypothesis

There is no significant difference in students’ academic achievement and attitudes

with respect to the methods o f teaching; traditional lecture-recitation learning versus

learning cycle inquiry learning.

Ho2: Null hypothesis

There is no significant difference between the gender on students’ academic


Ho3: Null hypothesis

There is no significant interaction between gender and the instructional methods

used on students’ academic achievement and attitudes.


7 4The Assumptions o f MANO VA

Since MANOVA was used to exajiiiiie the liyjiotlieses o f the study, it is necessaiy

to test whether the assumptions were met or not.

Independence o f Observations

The first assumption o f MANOVA is independence of observations, that is, each

one o f the students responded without affecting others. When conducting the study, the

researcher made sure that each student responded to the achievement test and attitude

survey separately, and thus the assumption was met.

Normal ity o f the Distribution o f Dependent Variables in the Populatioii

In tliis study, the second assumption for the nomiality o f distribution was that the

sample for both students’ academic achievement and attitude toward science come from a

nonnal population. I f the result of the test o f normality is significant, with a p-value less

than 0.05, then the normality o f the groups’ distribution would not exist. The univariate

normality assumption was examined by using the Shapiro-Wilk Test. The results o f the

Shapiro-Wilk test, as seen in Table 4.4, indicated that the dependent variable

GAINSACH was normally distributed across all levels o f the independent variables.

However, the second dependent variable, GAINSATT, was not normally distributed over

two levels (i.e., inquiry learning for males, p=0.005, and traditional lecture-recitation for

females, p~0.014). Since according to Stevens (1996), the MANOVA test is robust to

violations o f multivariate nomiality, the researcher concludes that the presence o f this

small violation in the normality o f one dependent vaiiable, that is GAINSATT, should

not have much effect on the accuracy o f analysis.


75Table 4.4

Descriptive Statistics for the Test o f Norm.alitv o f Both Acaderoic Achievement an,d

Attitudes When Utilizing Learning Cycle Inquiry Learning and Traditional Lecture-

Recitation Learning Methods With Both Male and Female 4' ̂Grade Students

Tests of Normality

Kolmogorov-Smlmov* Shapiro-Wilk

Gender Method of Teaching Statistic df Sig, Statistic df Sig.Male Traditional GAINSACH .129 21 .200' .938 21 .473

lecture-recitation GAINSATT .146 21 .200* .978 21 .890

Learning Cycle GAINSACH .149 22 .200* .947 22 .280Inquiry learning GAINSATT

.240 22 .002 .857 22 .OOS

Female Traditional GAINSACH .100 28 .200* .975 28 .707lecture-recitation GAINSATT .182 28 .018 .904 28 .014

Learning Cycle GAINSACH .121 27 .200* .944 27 .152Inquiry learning GAINSATT

.139 27 ,195 .931 27 .074

*• This is a lower bound of the true significance,

a- Liliiefors Significance Correction

The normality is presented using histograms to display clearly the results o f the

study. “In a histogram, the height o f each bar is the ffequency of each value in the

frequency table, and all the bars are put next to each other with no space in between”

(Aron and Aron, 1997, p.7). The benefit o f using a histogram in this section is to show

how the distribution o f the data values is distributed compared with the normal

distribution, which follows a normal curve. The advantages o f the use o f the histogram

was also illustrated by Norusis (1998) by pointing out that, “It tells you how likely

various values are. From it, you can see whether the cases cluster around a central value.

You can also see whether large and small values are equally likely and whether there are

values far removed from the rest” (p. 44).


76Figure 4.1

The Nomial Distribution of the Students Academic Achievement

5M D«v"2 42

N ^ 98,00

-3,0 ^ ,0 -1,0 0.0 1 0 2 0 3,0 4,0 6.0 6.0 7.0 6.0

GAINSACH

Figure 4.2

The Normal Distribution for the Students Attitudes.

SW. D ev - 6 .8 1

Mean ̂ 3̂ 96,00

-20.0 - 10.0 0.0 10 0 20.0-16.0 -S.O S.O IS.O 2S.0

GAINSATT

Flomomiei tv o f Variance Covariance Matrices

The third assumption o f M ANOVA is homogeneity o f variance covariance

matrices, that is, the variance covariance matrices o f the dependent variables are equal

across groups. The statistical procediue that was used to examine this assumption was

Box’s Test. The result indicated that P > .05 (P = .385), so the assumption was met.


7 7Table 4.5

Box’s Test

Box's Test of Equality of Covariance Matrlce#

Box’.s M 9.974

r 1.065

dfl 9

m 79791.161

Sig. .385

Tests the null hypothesis that the observed covariance matrices of the dejtendent variables are equal across groups.

»• Design; Interospt+OIiNDER+METHODS-KjENDER » NfETHODS

The Overall Multivariate Result

Null hypotheses 1: there is no significant difference in students’ academic

achievement and attitudes with respect to the methods o f teaching: traditional lecture-

recitation learning versus leaming cycle inquiry learning. There was a significant

different and the null hypothesis was rejected. Using Wilk’s Lambda Test, the researcher

found significant differences between the leaming cycle inquiry leaming and traditional

lecture-recitation methods in fourth grade on students academic achievement and

attitudes toward science, F (2, 93) = 19.765, (P= .000), comesponding to Wilks’ Lambda

= .702 with an effect size o f .298 and a power o f 1 (see Table 4.6). So these results

indicated that the null hypotheses should be rejected. As a result, the first alternative

hypotheses was supported: the students’ results on the academic achievement and

attitudes tests were different when leaming cycle inquiry learning was used verses

traditional lecture-recitation learning strategies.


78Table 4.6

The Multivariate Tests

MulMvariate Teste'

Effect Value r Hyijoihcris d f E n w d fParo'ftl hia Sq«aj«i

‘N ew eptParatTKier Ot)5efva»l Pnwer"

intercept PilUi's Tracu ,794 x m i 9,3.000 ,f»0« .794 - w m t (KKl

Lanitrdy 206 2.000 93.000 O'X) J'-H 3.VLK.S2 i.oon

HuU'Iliug'a Trace 3. MS 178.916* 2.0!>0 93.000 ,000 ,794 1 t)«j

Eny’a J.ar^sest Root :i.84s 179.9W* 2.000 93.000 .000 ,794 357,832 l.OOO

OfiNDER Pi Hat's T« ace ,051 2.000 93,000 . m ,051 4.9ftS .48!?

WilU’Lambda .949 2.4M ’' 2.000 93.900 M 9 .031 4.96S -438

Hoteiliflg’s Trace .055 2.4W*‘ 2.000 93.000 M 9 .031 .488

R o /s l.af Root .053 2.4S4* 2.0<H1 93.060 .0^9 ,031 4.968 .458

METHODS HHai'a T n cc 2,000 ,000 39.53! 1 two

WUkij' .702 19.764 * 2.000 93.00ft ,000 .393 39.531 i.mio

HoteUtop.'? Ttace .4?.S 19.76}'’ 2.060 9-3.000 .000 -7M 39.531 i.OOO

Roy's Root .475 19.76}'’’ 2,000 93.000 ,(K»0 .298 .39.5.31 i.OOO

OENOGR * METHOElS P iM 't Trace M i 2.5M*' 2.00(1 93-000 .0«7 .031 5.(J14 .491

WilkV L a n ^ f t .949 2..W8*’ 2,two 9.3.000 .087 .031 5.0U> ,491

HoteQiiBg'9 Ttaca .OW a.sos* 2.000 93.000 .tfS7 ,051 5.016 .491

Roy!) I-argest Rtwrt M 4 J iO ** 2,000 93,000 0K7 ,051 5.016 -491

CoiJijJttied w.'Sing alitlw « OS

b' lU act’staiiiiUc

PeJijgn: iaK'li'tfpJi CTem>ilR-*-Ml"rHOnKTOHNDi:R *

This significant result for students’ academic achievement and attitudes turned

towards a large effect size o f 0.298 which means the portion of variance explained by the

difference in metliod. Therefore, this study shows strong support for the first alternative

hypotheses and rejection o f the first null hyirotheses.

According to the differences between the means o f the achievement and attitude

test scores o f students exposed to the two instructional methods, the results indicated that

the utilization o f the learning cycle inquiry leaming method in teaching elementary

science resulted in a mean o f 5.224, compared to a mean o f 2.699 for the traditional

lecture-recitation leaming method. Moreover, the mean o f the students’ attitudes towards

the leaming cycle inquiry leaming method is equal to 2.591, compared to a mean o f -

2.020 for the traditional lecture-recitation learning method (see Table 4.7).


79

Table 4.7

MANOVA Test for Academic Achievement and Attitudes Gain Scores Bv Instructional

Method

GAINSACH GAINSATT * Method of Teaching

Method of Teaching GAINSACH GAINSATTTraditional locturs-reottation Mean

N

Std. Dsviation

2.6990

49

2.17465

-2.0204

49

6.17957

Learning Cycle Inquiry learning Mean

N

Std. Deviation

5.2245

49

1,98872

2.5918

49

6.68306

Total Mean

N

Std, Deviation

3.9617

98

2.6990

.2857

98

6.80964

Null Hypotliesis 2; The second mill hypothesis, which indicated that there was no

significant difference between the gender on students’ academic achievement and

attitudes toward science, was retained. Using Wilk’s Lambda Test, the researcher found

that there were no significant differences between gender in the fourth grade on students

academic achievement and attitudes toward science, F (2,93) = 2.484, (P= .089) for

Wilks’ Lambda = .949, with an effect size o f .051 and a power o f .488 (see Table 4.6).

In addition, the mean gain scores for students’ academic achievement based on

gender indicated that the female students mean scores were higher (M=4.086) than the

male students mean (M=3.802). The researcher also found that the mean, gain scores for

students attitudes based on gender for the female was higher (M=l ,472) than the male

student mean (M=-l .232). Even though there were some differences in the mean


80achievements between the two genders, the differences were not large enough to cause

statistical differences between the two sexes (see Table 4.8).

Table 4.8

MANOVA Test for Students Academic Achievement and Attitudes Gain Scores bv

Gender

GAINSACH GAINSATT ‘G ender

G ender GAINSACH GAINSATTMate Mean .■3.8023 '1.2326

N 43 43

Std. Deviation 2.39267 5.86287

Female Mean 4.0864 1.4727

N 56 S5

Std. Deviation 2,45337 7.30006

Total Mean 3.9617 .2857

N 08 98

Std. Deviation 2.41S61 6,80964

Null Hypothesis 3; A MANOVA was also performed to test the interaction

between the two independent variables: namely, gender and the instructional methods

used in this study. By using the Wilk’s Lambda Test, the overall results indicated that

there was no significant interaction between gender and the instructional methods used in

this study, (F=2, 93) = 2.508, since P >.05(P= .087), corresponding to Wilks’ Lambda =

.949. As shown in Table 4.6, the third null hypotheses, which indicates that there is no

significant interaction between gender and the instructional methods used on students’

academic achievement and attitudes, was retained. This result indicated that there was no

interaction between the two independent variables, with an effect size o f .051 and a

power o f .491. As long as the hypothesis about the interaction between the two


81independent variables was retained, it makes sense to look: at the main effect for each

independent variable separately.

The Univariate Result

A univariate test was tlien run to find where the difterences were located; in other

words, in which dependent variable differences existed. As shown in Table 4.9, in the

case o f the instructional method, the results were similar to those in the multivariate case.

The analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the two educational

methods for both o f the dependent variables when they were each considered separately

(achievement, p=0.000, and attitude, p=0.001). However in the case o f gender, the

results o f the analysis were different. When the students’ achievement variable was

considered by itself, the results showed that there was no significant difference between

the achievements o f the two sexes (F (1 ,94) =.627, p=0.430>0.05). On the other hand,

when the students’ attitude was considered by itself, the results showed that there was

significant difference between the attitudes o f the two sexes (F (1,94) =4.888,

p=0.029>0.05). It seems that this significant difference; however, was not enough to

appear in the multivariate test when the two dependent variables were considered

together. In addition the results o f the univariate test indicated that there was no

significant interaction between gender and the instructional methods used in this study,

(F(l,94) = 4.722 , P= .032>0.05).


82Table 4.9

Tests o f Between-Siibiects Effects

Tests o f Betweett-Sttbjects Effects

Source7>|Jcm Sum

ofSqtuues d f Mean Square r sie-hMtUl E u Sqnanal

NoncctithiH'aiicmr C^savedPowta'"

CoiTccted Model GAiNSACfl 163.327^ 3 54.442 1 2 .m ,000 37,993 1.000

GAmSATT 591,741* 3 297.34? 7.74S .000 -198

int«ac<9>( G A IN SA ai m i M i 1502,081 349.414 .000 .78* 349.414 1.000

GAINSATT i . m I . m .0.51 M i .001 .051 .056

GENDER. OAINSAOI 2 . m 2.697 .627 ,430 m 627 . m

G A lN SA rr t n . m 187.514 4 M S ,029 .049 4.8S8 .590

MGI’HODS GAJNSAOl 148414 148.414 34,524 -000 .269 34,524 u m

GArMSATT 453,tW5 45-3.005 11.808 .001 U 2 11.808 .925

GENDER* GAINSACH 4.329 4.129 1.007 .318 .011 1.007 . mMETHODS GAJNSAIT iSi.ltia 181,163 4.72-2 .032 .048 4.77,3 . m

Error GAINSACH 404.t)92 94 4.295

GAINSATT 3 m . m 94 .38.364

Total OMNSACH 2105.563 98

GAINSATT 4506.000 98

Conectcd Total GAINSACH 567,419 97

GAINSATT 4498.000 97

*■ CwwituiBd W8i»g a jp ta .0?

b R Squared - j a t t (Adjusted H SquanxI - J6 S )

«- RSt}<»ar<«l« . m (AjIjusJed R ’ ,!73)

Table 4.10 and Figure 4.3 show the gain in both o f the male and female attitudes

towards teaching science (GAINSATT) after the implementation o f both o f the

traditional and the leaming cycle inquiry learning teaching methods. The results showed

that there was a posi tive gain in the attitude o f the females who were exposed to the

leaming cycle inquiry learaing method, while there was a negative gain in the case o f

those females who were exposed to the traditional lecture-recitation method. As shown

in Table 4.10, the female mean gain was 5.07 in the case o f those who were exposed to

the learning cycle inquiry learaing method, and was -2.00 in the case o f those who were

exposed to the traditional lecture-recitation method o f teaching. In the case o f males, on

the other hand, there was a loss in the GAINSATT when using both teaching methods.

The loss however was much greater in the case o f the traditional lecture-recitation

method compared to the learning cycle inquiry leaming metliod (i.e., -2.05 vs, -0.46.)


83Therefore, the results o f both genders showed that the learning cycle inquiry learnitig

method was superior to the traditional lecture-recitation method in preserving or

improving the attitude towards teaching science.

Table 4.10

Gender and Method o f Teaching

G ender * Method of Teaching

95% Confidence Interval

Gender Method of Teaching Mean Std- Error Lower Bound Upper Bound

Male Traditional lecture-recitation -2.048 1.3S2 -4.731 .636

Learning Cycle Inquiry teaming -,4SS 1.321 -3.077 2.167

Female Traditional lecture-recitation -2.000 1.171 -4.324 .324

Leaming Cycle inquiry teaming 5.074 1.192 2.707 7.441

Figure 4.3

Estimated Marginal Means of GAINSATT6

4

2

0

Gender

Male

tpai _______

Traditional tecture-_________FemaleLeaming Cycle Inqui

Method of Teaching


8 4

Chapter 4 analyzed the data that was gathered by the researcher from four

different intact fourtli-grade classrooms in tlie State o f Kuwait. Two different

instructional methods (4-E leaming cycle inquiry method and traditional lecture-

recitation method) were implemented in those four classes for one month in order for the

researcher to measure their impact on students’ academic achievement and attitudes

toward science. The researcher used two instruments, (an academic achievement test and

attitude survey) to reach a conclusion that could answer the main question o f the study:

To what extent do learning cycle inquiry leaming or traditional lecture-recitation learning

strategies affect students academic achievement and attitudes in elementary science

classes in the State o f Kuwait?


85Chapter 5

Sutnmary, Discussion, Conclusion, and Recommendations

Summary

The State o f Kuwait is concerned that positive growth should occur at the

elementary level in all subjects. This concern is addressed by encouraging researchers to

search for ways to advance elementary school outcomes, supplying most elementary

schools with assistance to learners for acquiring informative knowledge and skills,

rebuilding and reexamining elementary curricula periodically, preparing qualified

teachers who are educated in contemporary theories in educational institutions such as

Kuwait University or the College o f Ed ucation, and permitting citizens to open new

private elementary schools in order to encourage schooling all over the country.

In this study, the researcher searched for the most effective method o f teaching

science in the fourth grade classroom. The results o f this study could encourage the

movement to change the instruction o f elementary science so that it utilizes the most

effective methods in order to promote students’ academic achievement and attitudes

toward science. Thus, the results o f this study may be helpful to educators and

researchers who are eager to gather information regarding teaching that positively

impacts students’ science achievement and attitudes.

This study examined the effectiveness o f two methods o f teaching elementary

science: the 4-E learning cycle inquiry learning, and traditional lecture-recitation

learning. Students’ academic achievement and attitudes toward science were the

dependent variables. The results o f this study may assist young learners, as well as help

elementary science teachers to improve the outcomes o f elementary education in the State


86of Kuwait. From all public elementary schools in the State o f Kuwait, two elementaiy

schools were chosen based on the strategies that were to be used. There were four groups

o f subjects, each comprising an intact science class o f fourth grade students. One class o f

boys was instructed with leaming cycle inquiry leaming method and the other class o f

boys was taught by utilizing traditional lecture-recitation learaing metliod. Tlie girls

were divided in a similar fashion. One female teacher tauglit both classes o f boys; and

the other female teacher taught both girls classes.

The study’s sample consisted o f 110 elementary students in four intact

classrooms. Two instruments were used in gathering the data in this study; 1) a measure

o f students’ academic achievement, and 2) an attitude survey. Both instruments were

used for pre-and post-tests for all groups.

In this study there were three null hypotheses and three alternative hypotheses.

The three null hypotheses were as follows:

H oi: There is no significant difference in students’ academic achievement and

attitudes vrith respect to the methods o f teaching: traditional lecture-recitation leaming

versus leaming cycle inquiry learaing.

Ho2: There is no significant difference between the genders on students’

academic achievement and attitudes toward teaching science.

Ho3: Tliere is no significant interaction between gender and the instractional


The results o f the MANOVA test were significant, supporting the first alternative

hypotheses and rejecting the first null hypotheses o f the study. This result indicated that


87there was a significant difference between the two methods of teaching elementtury

science in, their effectiveness regarding students’ academic achievement and attitude.

Furthermore, the comparison among the two methods revealed significant

differences between the ieaming cycle inquiry leaming and tniditional lecture-recitation

methods on students academic achievement and attitudes toward science, F (2,93) =

19.765, (P= .000), corresponding to Wilks’ Lambda == .702 with an effect size o f .298 and

a power o f 1. As a result, the first alternative hypotheses wj^ supported: the students’

results on the academic achievement and attitudes tests were stronger when leaming

cycle inquiry leaming was used verses traditional lecture-recitation leaming strategics.

The 4-E leaming cycle produced superior results.

When the di fferences between the means o f the achievement and attitude scores

of students were compared, the leaming cycle inquiry produced a difference in

achievement test means of 5.224 (compared to a mean o f 2.699 for the traditional lecture-

recitation leaming method) and produced a difference in attitude scores o f 2.591

(compared to a mean o f -2.020 for the traditional lecture-recitation leaming method).

The results indicated that the 4-E leaming cycle inquiry method advanced students’

academic achievement and attitudes more than did the traditional lecture-recitation

method.

Discussion and Conclusion

'The study examined the effect o f two di fferent methods in teaching elementary

science; 1) learning cycle inquiry leaming and 2) traditional lecture-recitation leaming.

The dependent variables were students’ academic achievement and attitudes toward

science. The differences in the impact o f teaching instruction on students academic


88achievement and attitudes were investigated by reviewing literature and using the

MANOVA test to deteonine tlie answer for the main question o f tliis study; to what

extent do learning cycle inquiry learning and traditional lecture-recitation learning

strategies affect students academic achievement and attitudes in elementary science

classes in the State o f Kuwait?

One o f the purposes o f this study was to detennine whether students’ academic

achievement scores were different in fouith grade science with respect to teaching

instruction learaing cycle and traditional lecture-recitation, and which teaching method

was more effective for students’ academic achievement. The results o f this study support

using the 4-E leaming cycle inquiry method in fourth grade science classes. This

outcome is consistent with a considerable body o f research. To illustrate, in the

literature, Shymansky, Kyle, and Alport (1983) utilized meta-analysis to synthesize the

results o f 105 experimental studies involving over 45,000 students. Their study focused

on the effects o f new science curricula on student performance. This meta-analysis

included 27 new science curricula with one or more measures each.

All these studies compared the impacts o f the use o f inquiry teaching methods

against traditional lecture -recitation methods of teaching on students’ academic

achievement. They presented the results o f their meta-analysis, which revealed definite

positive patterns of students’ perfonnance in new science curricula. In all new science

curricula analyzed, students exposed to new science curricula using inquiry methods

performed better than their traditional counterparts in achievement, analytic skills,

process skills, and related skills, while developing a more positive attitude toward

science. Also, studies involving new inquiry-based science curricula against those


89judged to have a low emphasis on laboratory activity showed students outperfomiing

their traditional course counterparts by larger margins overall than those new science

curricula judged to have a high laboratory emphasis.

On the other hand, studies involving new science curricula judged to have a high

emphasis on process skills development showed students out-performing traditional

course students by larger margins on analytic skill measures tlian those involving

curricula judged to have a low process skill emphasis. In both analytical skill

measurements and in overall achievement, students learning under new inquiry-based

science curricula out-performed those learning under a traditional curriculum.

Furthermore, when the data o f this study were analyzed by using the MANOVA test, the

results indicated that the 4-E teaming cycle inquiry-teaming groups differed significantly

from the traditional lecture-recitation teaming group on the academic achievement test.

Thus, the findings o f this study support the use o f the 4-E teaming cycle inquiry teaming

method in teaching science in order to advance fourth-grade students’ academic

achievement.

The results o f present study, using A MANOVA test are also consistent with the

findings o f Johnson and Lawson (1998) who concluded (after using a pre-post tests after

using inquiry-teaming (teaming cycle) methods with 366 students (242 females and 124

mates) enrolled in a one-semester in college biology classroom for nonmajors) that the

students would be better served by courses that teach by inquiry and focus on the

development o f scientific reasoning and the acquisition o f fewer concepts. Johnson and

Lawson (1998) found that inquiry students in their study not only showed greater

improvement in reasoning ability during the semester than expository students, but they


90also did better in measures o f biology achievement. In otlier words, nothing o f

importance seems to be lost by switching to inquiry instruction, and much seems to be

gained.

The findings o f this study may assist educators, especially Kuwaiti educators, who

are looking for the most effective teaching method in fourth-grade science classes in

order to nurture capable students who desire a firmer understanding o f science concepts

and skills.

The other purpose o f tiiis study was to investigate whether students’ attitudes in

fourth-grade science classes differ with respect to the teaching method. The results o f

this study determined that there was a significant difference between the two teaching

methods in the students’ attitudes in fourth-grade science classes. A MANOVA test was

used to examine the differences and effects o f the two methods o f teaching elementary

science. The results o f this study indicated tliat the 4-E learning cycle inquiry method

was more effective than the traditional lecture-recitation learning method in encouraging

students’ attitudes in elementary science classrooms. This finding is consistent with the

literature. For example, Kyle (1988) in the Science Curriculum Improvement Study

(SCnS) that emphasized inquiry-oriented approach used only a post-test control group

design for his study to investigate the effects o f the SCIS learning cycle inquiry leaming

on students’ attitudes. The preferences and understanding-student version questionnaire

used in that study consisted o f 32 attitudinal items referenced from the 1977 Third

Assessment o f Science, which was part o f the National Assessment o f Educational

progress (NAEP, 1978). The student sample comprised o f 228 SCIIS students (54%

male and 46%female) and 228 non-SCIIS students (52% male and 48% female). Kyle


91(1988) concluded that students in inquiry-oriented science classes have greatly

enhanced attitudes toward science and scientists when compared to students in

“traditional” textbook-oriented science classes. In addition to SCIIS students being more

likely to choose science as either their first or second favorite subject in school, over

seventy-five percent o f SCIIS students found science to be fun, exciting, and interesting

while fostering a feeling o f curiosity. On tlie other hand, over fifty percent o f non-SCIIS

students found science to be boring; tliirty-three percent indicate that science makes them

feel uncomfortable. The SCIIS students wished that they had more time for science and

more “kinds” o f science offerings. They also realized that their science teachers valued a

high frequency o f questions and that questioning is important in science. The SCIIS

students realized that through their inquiries they developed a feeling o f successfulness,

s e n s students felt that science is useful both in their daily lives and in the future; they

realized that in addition to gaining knowledge, being curious and inquisitive are

important aspects o f science. Also the SCIIS classes enhanced the attitudes o f females

toward science and their science classes. Furthermore, both SCIIS and non-SCIIS

teachers found their previous traditionally taught science classes to be dull, uninteresting,

lacking in excitement, and boring, while only mildly fostering a sense o f curiosity. The

inquiry oriented process approach applied in the classroom apparently allows SCIIS

teachers to portray a much more positive image o f science and scientists.

This study o f instructional methods used in Kuwaiti classrooms obtained similar

effects for many o f the same reasons discovered in the SCIIS study. Like the SCIIS

findings, using the 4-E learning cycle Kuwaiti classrooms, the researcher found the

following:


921. Science being foil, exciting, and fostering students’ curiosity.

2. The students wanted to do more science by asking the teacher “when is the

next science class?” .

3. Students reported a feeling o f successfolness through tlieir inquiries.

4. The 4-E leaming cycle enhanced both the achievement and the attitudes of

students toward science and their science classes.

Thus, the findings o f this study indicate that the 4-E leaming cycle inquiry

leaming mediods was more influential than traditional lecture-recitation leaming method

in promoting students’ attitudes within the fourth-grade science classes. According to

Haury(1993) one could expect that inquiry-orientated teaching may result in additional

beneficial outcomes that include scientific literacy, familiarity with science processes,

vocabulary knowledge, conceptual understanding, critical thinking, and positive attitudes

towards science.

In addition, the results o f this study indicated that these fourth grade elementary

students did not exhibit any significant differences in achievement nor in attitudes toward

science due to gender differences. This is consistent with the findings o f Shaw and Doan

(1990) as discussed in Chapter 2 o f this dissertation. Therefore, studies indicating gender

differences in secondary and middle school don’t apply to this sample o f elementary

students. It may be concluded that based on this sample, gender differences in attitude

and achievement as obser-ved by Manliart (1998) and others, may commence after the

elementary grades. It seems then that the dispar ity o f positi ve attitudes and equal

achievement between female and male students possibly originates after grade four. If

this is the case, additional studies are needed to investigate precise reasons for the


93changes that seem to occur after grade four. Areas that may lead to findings relevant

to gender differences may include, but not be limited to; societal expectations, peer

expectations, instructional techniques, instructional materials, teacher attitudes and

teacher expectations.

The MANOVA test showed that there was no interaction between the two

independent variables in tliis study; namely, gender and the instructional methods. This

result, is consistent with the previously cited research findings on gender differences with

students at this age level. Gender does not make a difference with the younger learners

when it comes to achievement and attitudes in science. In addition, the univariate test

showed that the difference in achievement and attitude is derived from the instructional

method used. Theses results were based on a level o f significant {Alpha~-0.05) that were

not adjusted for multiple test.

Recommendations

The fimdamental aim o f the study was to detect the impact o f implementing 4-E

leaming cycle inquiry leaming or traditional lecture-recitation methods upon students’

academic achievement and attitudes in fourth-grade science classes. The results o f this

study should encourage those elementary science instmctors who have dedicated their

careers to preparing students as well as themselves for the classroom.

Educators who strive to develop the educational science status worldwide and

especially in the State o f Kuwait should investigate in-depth the issue o f improving

science instruction in order to positively influence the science learners. This study

provides information to those educators about the impact o f 4-E leaming cycle inquiry

leaming and traditional lecture-recitation learning methods upon students’ academic


94achievement and attitudes. However, this study could be replicated with consideration

to some practical steps that needed to be considered before future use.

1. Using a larger sample, which, could be selected randomly, from

elementary Kuwaiti schools may provide additional confidence about the

effectiveness o f iitiliEing leam,in,g cycle inquiry learning and traditional

lecture-recitation leaming method and producing gains in students’

academic achievement and attitudes. If the results o f a larger study are

consistent with findings o f this study, serious work should be undertaken

to implement the leaming cycle method across fourth-grade science

curriculum in the State o f Kuwait schools.

2. A wide debate should be conducted among professionals and responsible

individuals, especially teachers, who would be in charge o f implementing

the new style o f teaching instraction in order to avoid misunderstandings

implementing it. A thorough understanding is necessary about the nature

o f science and what it means to be scientifically literate. A focal point o f

any professional development opportunities should include science being

more than just knowledge, but processes and attitudes as well. Teachers

and leamers should understand their duties in the whole process to ensure

success for all when utilizing it.

3. It may be favorable for other researchers who are interested in replicating

a study similar to this to search for the reasons tlial may make 4-E learning

cycle inquiry leaming method more effective than traditional lecture-

recitation. The main question for those studies could become “why is


95inquiry leanimg more effective?” and produce statistical measures and

concrete reasons about the factors that make this type o f teaching

instruction more effective than the traditional strategies. We know from

previous studies that have been done on the U.S.A. that learning cycle

inquiry methods have a positive effect on student participation,

excitement, nature o f questions, higher quality o f student work, and the

true nature o f science. But we do not yet know the effect on the Kuwaiti

students- Also, this sort o f question gives researchers another lens

through which they view change in teaching strategies in science,

4. It is recommended to replicate the study in the fiiture by extending the

experimental time and continuing to investigate and improve

instrumentation. Those findings may help the researchers interpret

precisely the circumstances which occurred within science classes and

generalize the results o f their studies at the end o f the research process.

5. It is recommended that further research could consider other dependent

variables that may be related to the effectiveness o f implementing the 4-E

leaming cycle inquiry leaming versus traditional lecture-recitation

leaming method in teaching elementary science, such as social skills, and

process skills.

6. Further investigation should be made regarding the comparison o f the use

o f 4-E leaming cycle inquiry leaming to other teaching methods such as

cooperative, competitive, or other methods in teaching elementary or

higher educational levels.


967. More research should be conducted to judge the effects o f the

traditional lecture-recitaliou learning method over the leaming cycle

inquiry leaming method when it is applied within particular situations or

specific grade levels. The traditional lecture-recitation leaming metlrod

should not be completely disregarded until there is evidence that the

learning cycle inquiry leaming approach is more effective in every grade

level.

8. Further studies should be done to investigate the potential interaction

between gender and the instructional methods used on students’ academic



97Summai'v

The researcher in this study found that the 4-E learning cycle method is more

effective than the traditional lecture-recitation on student academic achievement and

attitudes toward science. These results not only support the past studies that have been

cited in this study, but also can be applied to the educational system in Kuwait. By

implementing the 4-E learning cycle method, Kuwait can have a new generation of

students that can globally compete on a broad scale scholastically, in addition to adapting

to cultural changes which now include new gender inclusions in the classroom. For these

reasons, the 4-E learning cycle promotes critical thinking which can affect students’ lives

in many ways. The Ministry o f Education is eagerly searching for new ideas in regards

to curriculum reform. At this point the most important question is that o f the

implementation o f the new method. Making this part o f the new pre-service teacher

training is the first step. Experienced teachers, entrenched in the traditional methods they

have been using for years, may be the hardest to convince.


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65, 33-50.


106Wise, K. C., & Okey, J. R. (1983). A M eta-amlysis oftlie effects o f various

science teaching strategies on achievement. Journal o f R eseach in Science Teaching.20

(5), 419-435.


)07

Appendices


108

Appendix A Achievement Test


109Acliievement Test

Please try to answer all the questions. The results o f the test will be evaluated by

a person who is not your teacher and your score will not affect your grade. Read and

recotd all your answers on the paper carefully.

N am e _____

G rade______

Section #1

Mark the following statements as True (T) or False (F).

1. All fruits have seeds._____

2. Plants make their food in dark. _ _ _ _

3. I ’lie llower is the breeding ptirt o f the p lants_____

4. Man preserves his food in only one w ay ._____

Section #2

Fill in the blank;

Word Bank: (Water-Fruits-Fresh-Stem- Air-Fetus- Sun light-Cane)

1. The flowers o f the plants change to ______________ .

2. Plants keep their extra food in their stem, such as ____ .

3. ______________ are important for plants to m,ake

their food.

4. Man eats caraied food an d ____________

5. All plant seeds contain .....

6. ___ is a part o f the plant that carries the water from tlie root to the leaves.


noSection #3

Write the scientific definition;

1. __________ is the only organism that make his food by himself.

2. ( _ ____ ) are plants that keep the extra food in their leaves.

3. ____________ is a way that we keep food.

4. (___ ________ _ J is the part o f the plant that keep the plant steady in the dirt.

Section #4

Give reasons for the following statements;

1. Candy stays for a long time without getting ruined.

2. Plants die in the dark.

3. Vegetables get ruined if we kept them without refrigeration, while nuts don’t.

Section #5

Circle the correct answer;

1. Plants increase by:

A. Roots C. Leaves

B. Seeds D. None


2. The main source of food for human and animals is:

A. Candy

B. Plants

C. Seeds

D. Fish

3. A kind o f plant that keeps its extra food in its dowers:

A. Cauliflower C. Potato

B. Lettuce

4. We keep candy by:

A. Drying

B. Canning

D. Egg plant

C. Salting

D. Sugaring

Section #6 (essay)

What do you expect to happen to the plant if we remove it’s roots from the soil?

Section # 7

Dates grow in summer what should you do if you want to eat them at the rest o f the year?


112

Appendix B

Attitude Survey


113Instructions

Please answer all tlie questioas as honestly as possible. The data tlmt will be

collected by this survey will remain confidential and will not be provided to the science

teacher or others, except in a summary iashion. Read carefiilly each numbered question

below and, using the scale provided below, rea>rd your answer by circling the category

tliat best express your altitude.

Do you enjoy studying and learning about.,.

1

(a) NO(b) NOT SURE(c) YES

flr .tri; ,'tud


How sound travels?! if ill

i C i vIU'C 4%

r ;1




114





10.

-chiiiigc: *insi g ro w




11.115

jfcfe it.?

(a) NO(b) NOT SURE(c) YES13. KuV w'e ii5ia.r hOisiu!;.

(a) NO(b) NOT S URE(c) YES

r Z , '"nv niOvli a?sd it? ; ?;ii;KU;wr;

1

^ j'-;

' ) .... i : „ : : i a ' )

;

i i r ’ ..— '• S l t J

(a) NO(b) NOT SURld c) YIS

14.

■/! C I : ! ! ' , ; . ' - ! :


s:.

i W\l.4 w

(a) NO(b) NO!' SURE(c) YES ___


16

Appendix C

Pilot Study


117R e l iab i l i ty* * *- *■ * * M e t h o d 1 (s p a c s a v ei r) w i ,11 b e u s d f o r t h i s

analysis ******

R E L I A B I L I T y I\ N A L Y S I S - S C(A L P H A)

Statistics for Mean Va r i ance Std Dev VaSCA.LE 37 .254 9 22.2337 4 .7153

Item-total Stci t X s t i, c s

.Scale Scale CorrectedMeciri Vai riel nee I tern-

Alphaif Item if Item Total

if ItemDeleted Delected Correlation

Dele'ted

ITEMl 34.3333 21.38 67 .2351.6953ITEM2 34.3922 21.9231 .0399.7069ITEMS 34.8235 18.2282 .5090.6585ITEM4 34.5882 20.1671 .3008. 6868ITEMS 34.4 510 19.9325 .4702. 6743ITEM 6 35.1176 19.0259 .2959.6891ITEM7 34.6078 19.84 31 .3340.6829ITEM8 34.9608 19.8384 .2299. 6969ITEM 9 34.5098 21.4 94 9 .0593.7112ITEMl0 34.8627 19.6008 .2536.6940

N of

15


118ITEMl1 35.1373 19.4 808 ,27 60. 6907ITEMl2 34.9608 • 19.5584 .2983. 6870ITEM13 35.137 3 17.2008 . 577 6. 6445ITEM14 35.2745 17.9231 .4 554.6640ITEMl5 34.4118 21.1271 .2424. 6937

Re 1 iabi .1 it y Coe f fi c i,e n t s

N of Cases ™ 51.0

Alpha =■ .7007

N of Items


19

Appendix D

Pre-Post Test o f Reliability


120

R el iab i l i ty****** Method 1 (space Sciver) will be us€id for this

analysis *******

R E L I a B I L I T Y (A L P H A)

A N A 1, Y S I S S C A L E

Statistics fo r SCALE

Mtsan 21.357 9

Var iance; 46.4450

N ofS t d Dev Va ri. ables 6.8151 15

Item-1 o t a 1 S t cs. t i s t. i c s

S Celle Scale Corrected

AlphaMean Variance It€2m~

if Itemif if Item Total

DeletedDeleted Dele; ted Correlation

ITEMlPRE .8221

20.0421 40.7429 .4478

ITEM2PRE.8179

19.7684 40.7756 .5205

ITEM3PRE.8233

20.0105 41.0744 . 4282

ITEM4PRE.8283

19.9474 41.9227 .3485

ITEM5PRE.8171

19.7895 40.7212 .5366

ITEM6PRE.8284

19.9053 41.7250 .3513

ITEM7PRE.8248

19.8737 41.6647 .4028

ITEMSPRE .8249

19.9684 41.0096 .4069

ITEM9PRE.8260

20.0316 41.17 98 .3901

ITEMl OPR .8167

19.7 68 4 40.6692 .5443

nission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

ITEM11 PR 20.1474 39.1908 .564 2. 8141ITEMl2PR 19.8211 40.2974 . 5453.8162ITEMl3PR 19.9895 40.4361 . 4882.8195ITEMl4 PR 20.2526 40.2972 .4415. 8228ITEMl5PR 19.6947 42.4 69? . 4098. 8246

Reliability Coefficients

N of Cases = 95.0 N of lie

A lp h a . 8 317


122

R e l ia b i l i ty****** Method ] (space) saver) will be used for this

analysis ******

R E L I A B I L I T Y (A L P H A)

A N A L Y S I S S C A L E

Statistics for SCALE

Mecin 21.5612

N ofVariance Std Dev Variables 45.4240 6.7397 15

11: em-1 o t a 1 S t a t i s t i c s

Alpha

if Item

Deleted

ITEMlPOS .8140 ITEM2P0S .8168 ITEM3P0S . 8217 ITEM4P0S . 8245 ITEMSPOS . 8092 ITEM6P0S .8153 ITEM7P0S .8219 ITEM8POS .8172 ITEM9P0S .8247 ITEMl0PC .8139

ScaleMesan

if Item

Deleted

20.2551

20.1327

20.1327

20.1735

19.9898

20.0612

20.0204

20.0204

20.1939

20.0612

S c a 1 e Variance

i f It€ira

39.0992

40.0750

41.0235

41.0727

39.4329

40.1612

41.2985

40.5563

41.0239

40.0375

CorrectedI t e r a -

Total

D €) 1 e t e d C o r r e 1 a t i o ri

47 35

4302

3521

3167

5553

4540

3456

4227

3166

4766


123ITEM IIPO 2 0.1837 39.2649 . 4 804.81.34ITEMl2P0 20.1327 39.2915 . 5374.8099ITEM13E>0 20.1939 39.08 57 . 5251.8104ITEMl4 PC 20.4082 38,9039 . 5081.8115ITEMl5PC 19.8980 40.5874 . 4 97 9.8135

Reliability Co€jf f icients

N C) L Csbi&s . 98.0 N of It:e:

Alpha “ 8261


124

Appendix E

Pre-Compari son Test


1,25Bovs' Class (Traditional Classroom)

Number of Students in(4/l) Academic achievernetit grade

1. 252. 273. 274. 215. 246. 227. 278. 249. 2210. 2611. 2812. 2913. 2514. 1915. 2616. 2617. 2418. 2819. 2920. 2621. 2822. 2223. 2724. 28

The mean-25.42/30


126Fjovs* Class (Learniim Cycle Ciassroom)

Number o f Stiideuts in (473) Academic achievement grade

i. 282. 303. 274. 275. 246. 257. 228. 289. 2510. 2611. 2512. 2913. 2514. ■ 2715. 2616. 2817. 2318. 2419. 2620. 2821. 3022. 2823. 2924. 2625. 2026. 29

The mean=2635/30


127Girls* Class (Traditional Classroom)

Number o f Students in (4/1) Academic achievement grade

1. 292. 283. 294. 285. 256. 237. 198. 239. 2610. 29U. 2612. 2713. 2814. 3015. 3016. 2617. 2518. 2919. 2820. 2921. 2622. 3023. 2724. 2825. 2726. 2627. 2928. 2329. 2830. 2631. 26

The mean=26,90/30


Cjirls’ C'lass (Learning Cyck Classi'oom)128

Number o f Students in (4/7) Academic achievement grade

1. 262. 223. 264. 255. 286. 187. 278. 249. 3010. 2611. 2912. 2313. 2614. 2715. 2916. 2717. 2918. 3019. 2720. 2621. 2622. 2823. 2924. 2625. 2726. 3027. 2328. 2729. 2530 18

The mean=26.10/30


29

Appendix F

Sample o f Lesson Plans


130l lie 4-E Leamina Cycle Lesson. Plan Sample

Concept:

The basic Parts o f a plant are roots, stems, and leaves.

Concepts that are important to expansion

Air, water, and Sun light is necessary for plant growth.

Exploration:

Process skills students will use in exploration phase: observing, communicating,

identi lying, and modeling

Provide each group o f the students with plants. Allow the students’ lime to dig up the

plants from the pot. Make sure that they will get most o f the root systems. Ask them to

carelhlly put their plants on a piece o f paper. Finally, ask them to make some

observations and talk over their observations with one another. Have them draw a picture

o f their plants

Explanation:

Concept: the basic parts o f a plant are roots, stems, and leaves.

What is the name o f the part that you find under the soil? What is the role o f the roots?

What is the name o f the second part o f the plant? What is the role o f it? Then what do

all o f our plants have in common? Continue with this line o f questions until the students

understand that the basic parts o f a plant are roots, stems, and leaves. Ask the students to

return to the drawings they created o f their plants. Ask them to label the roots, stems, and

leaves in their drawings. The teacher will ask the recorder o f each group to write a name

o f a part o f plant on the board.


131Expansion:

Process skills studenls will use in expansion phase; observing, infcmng, comparing,

identi lying, and modeling.

Teacher guided expansion- Using a model o f plant 1 will take apart the model and liave

all parts on a table in front o f the class. Individual students wall be called up to choose a

plant part, identify it, write it’s name on the board, and then place the part in its

appropriate spot on the plant model.

Evaluation:

At the end o f this activity the students will be able to;

• Identify the basic parts o f a plant (root, stem, and leaf).

• Name the four things most plants need to live.

• When given carrot, celery, and lettuce, identify which is a root, which is a stem,

and which is a leaf.


132Traditional [.earning Lesson Plan Sample

Objectives:

The students will be able to identify the basic parts o f plants.

Materials:

A sample o f plant or a picture o f plant.

Use textbook.

Subject:

Science

Procedure:

Show the student the plant that I have on the table in front o f me and ask them about the

name o f each part.

Ask the students to open the textbook on page, and ask them to tell me about the name of

each part.

Tell the student the role o f each part o f the plant.

Ask them to repeat after me the name o f each part.

Give the students a picture o f a plant and ask them to write down the name o f each part.

Evaluation:

Give a quiz or a test at the end of the unit.


133

Appendix G

Abstract


Ebrahira, AH, Hassan Ph.D. June, 2004

Curriculum and Instruction (Science Education)

THE EFFECTS OF TRADITIONAL LEARNING AND A LEARNING CYCLE

.INQUIRY LEARNING STRATEGY ON STUDENTS’ SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT

AND ATTITUDES TOW ARD ELEM ENTARY SCIENCE (Pp. 135)

Director o f Dissertation; (Dr, Ralph Martin)

The purpose o f this study is to examine the impact o f two instructional methods

on students’ academic achievement and attitudes toward elementary science in the State

o f Kuwait: traditional teaching method and the 4~.E learning cycle inquiry teaching

method. The subjects were 111 students from four intact grade classes. The

experiment group (n=56) received the learning cycle instmction while the control group

(n=55) received a more traditional approach over a four week period. The same female

teacher tauglit the experimental and control groups for boys and a different female

teacher taught experimental and control groups for girls.

The dependent variables were measured through the use of: (1) a science

achievement test to assess student achievement; and (2) an attitude survey to measure

students’ attitudes toward science. Quantitative data were collected on students’ pre- and

post -treatm ent achievement and attitudes measures.

The two way M ANOVA reveals that: (I) the 4-E learning cycle instructional

method produces significantly greater achievement and attitudes among fourth grade

science students than the traditional teaching approach F (2, 93) = 19.765, (P= .000),

corresponding to W ilks’ Lambda = .702 with an effect size o f .298 and a power o f I . In

light o f these findings, it is therefore suggested that students can achieve greater and have


higher science attitudes when the 4-E learning cycle is used. In addition, these findings

support the notiop that effective instruction in teaching science, such as the 4-E learning

cycle instruction, should be proposed and impieraented in eiernentaiy schools.

ApprovedSigimure^DirectOT


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