Effect of Using the Learning for Mastery Strategy in Teaching Physics on the High School Freshmen's Acquisition and Use of Physical Concepts and Problem Solving Skills
Research Abstract
Summary in English
Introduction:
Despite the fact that acquiring the concepts and skills associated with Physics problem solving is primarily essential for high school students due to the role these concepts and skills play in learning and understanding Physics as evidenced in previous research (Mestre and others, 1993; Ali, 1997), students find it quite difficult neither to understand nor to manipulate these concepts and skills. This, in turn, induces low achievement in Physics, and according to other studies, it may be conducive to abstention from learning Physics altogether (Hohly & Richard, 1979; Zeiton, 2000; Mostafa, 2000).
For this reason, a need for looking for alternative, unconventional learning and teaching strategies has arisen so as to achieve the objectives underpinning Physics instruction. These strategies aspired for are deemed as a panacea for solving the Physics teaching/learning problems for high school freshmen where individual variations are catered for under the conditions of instruction in a typical Egyptian Physics classrooms in the secondary education phase. One of these startegies has been termed "Learning for Mastery" coined by Benjamin Bloom.
However, the Bloom's strategy of learning for Mastery being one such effective strategy as evidenced in several empirical research, especially in catering for learning needs in classrooms of average size, this strategy to the best of the present researcher's knowledge has never been tested in the Physics classroom and especially for Physics problem-solving.
From this perspective, the notion for conducting the current study has arisen so as to investigate the effect of Bloom's learning for Mastery strategy on acquiring Physics problem solving skills for high school freshmen.
Statement of the Problem:
In the light of the aforementioned, the problem of the present study can be stated tacitly be summed up in the following main question:
What is the effect of using Bloom's learning for Mastery strategy on the acquisition of concepts and skills associated with Physics problem solving for high school freshmen?
Off this main question branch the following sub-questions:
1 _ How significant are the differences between the students who attained a level of mastery in both the experimental and the control groups on posttesting on the physical concepts test?
2 _ How significant are the differences between the students who attained a level of mastery in both the experimental and the control groups on posttesting on the physical problem solving skills test?
3 _ What is the effect of using Bloom's learning for Mastery strategy on the acquisition of Physical concepts in freshmen in first year secondary education Physics?
4 _ What is the effect of using Bloom's learning for Mastery strategy on the acquisition of Physics problem solving skills in freshmen in first year secondary education Physics?
5 _ What is the relationship between the scores obtained by the experimental group on the Physics Concepts Test and the scores on the Physics Problem solving Skills Test on Posttesting ?
Significance of the Study:
This study may contribute to…
1. Unveiling the potentiality of the possible strategies that pay attention to individual variations in learning in a cooperative, gregarious context where regular classes are characteristically dense.
2. Pproposing a practical paradigm for the Bloom' Strategy of Mastery Learning in acquiring Physics concepts and Physics problem solving skills.
3. Overcoming the common deficiencies in Physics instruction.
4. Maximizing high school Physics teachers' comprehension of and application of the Bloom's Strategy of learning for Mastery in Acquisition and use of problem solving skills.
5. Reformulating Physics school textbooks around learning for Mastery based on Bloom's paradigm.
Limitations of the Study:
This research is delimited by the following:
1 _ Use of two units from the high school freshmen's Physics book on "motion description" and "motion causes" for the academic year 2002-2003.
2 _ The subjects of the study are high school freshmen, and the sample was drawn from two high schools in the governorate of Beni Suef – Al-Shaheed Essam-ed-Deen Mohamed Salem General Secondary School and Al-Fashn General Secondary School.
3 _ Bloom's strategy of learning for Mastery.
4 _ Assessing physical concepts on the levels of memory, comprehension, and application.
5 _ Mastery learning standardized level is set at an achievement level amounting to 75% in the least as assessed by the physical concepts and problem solving skills test maximum scores.
Research Methodology:
A control group design with post-post testing is used is conducting the present study.
Research Instruments:
1 _ The test of physical concepts developed by the researcher and based on the units of "Motion Description" and "Motion Causes" for high school freshmen.
2 _ The test of Physics problem solving skills developed by the researcher and based on the units of "Motion Description" and "Motion Causes" for high school freshmen.
3 _ A teacher's guide for instruction into the units on motion developed based on the Bloom's learning for Mastery strategy.
4 _ The students' worksheets for the units on motion based on the Bloom's learning for Mastery strategy.
Hypotheses of the Study:
The present study seeks to test the following hypotheses:
1 _ There are statistically significant differences between the percentages of students who attained a level of mastery of both the experimental and control subjects on posttesting on the physical concepts test to the advantage of the experimental subjects.
2 _ There are statistically significant differences between the percentages of students who attained a level of mastery of both the experimental and control subjects on posttesting on the physical problem solving skills test to the advantage of the experimental subjects.
3 _ There are statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group which was instructed for Mastery learning using Bloom's strategy and control group which was instructed in a conventional teaching method on posttesting on the physical concepts test in favour of the experimental group.
4 _ There are statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group which was instructed for Mastery learning using Bloom's strategy and control group which was instructed in a conventional teaching method on posttesting on the physical problem solving skills test in favour of the experimental group.
5 _ There is a statistically significant positive correlation between the mean scores of the experimental groups on the results of both the Physics problem Solving Skills Test and the Physics Concepts Test.
Research Procedures:
The procedures of the study have been as follows:
1 _ Conducting an exhaustive review of literature and relevant previous research on strategy-based instruction and the learning for Mastery strategy, physical concepts and Physics problem solving;
2 _ Selecting two units for the study titled : Description of "Motion Description" and "Motion Causes" drawn from the high school Physics course for freshmen;
3 _ Analyzing the two units to get the physical concepts embedded in the units;
4 _ Defining the skills necessary for physics problem solving through: analyzing pertinent literature reviews and previous research that dealt with physics problem solving skills; content analysis of the school textbooks; analysis of students answers on physics tests; views of experts and specialists in the subject and its instructional methodology.
5 _ Developing a teacher's guide and the students workbook based on the units of "Motion Description" and "Motion Causes" for high school freshmen;
6 _ Developing the tests of physical concepts and Physics problem solving skills based on the units of "Motion Description" and "Motion Causes" for high school freshmen;
7 _ Validating the tests, the teacher's guide, and the students' workbook by a jury of experts;
8 _ Modifying the tools in the light of the comments and feedback from jury members who judged adjudicated the instrument;
9 _ Piloting the tests of physical concepts and Physics problem solving skills for assessing reliability, difficulty index, and index of discrimination;
10 _ Selecting the sample for the study from two high schools: Al-Shaheed Esam ed-Deen Mohamed Salem and Al-Fashn High school;
11 _ Pretesting the tests of physical concepts and Physics problem solving skills for preliminary assessment of the experimental and control groups;
12 _ Boom's learning for Mastery strategy using in teaching the experimental group and the traditional method for the control group;
13 _ Posttesting the experimental and the control groups;
14 _ Statistical treatment, analysis and interpretation of findings, and discussion in the light of related literature;
15 _ Proposing suggestions for further research and recommendations based on the current study's findings.
Research Findings:
1 _ Using the Bloom's strategy of learning for Mastery has led to improvement in the learning of the students (high school freshmen, the subjects of the study (at a percentage of 84% of the experimental group subjects) which is above the percentage doomed the minimum level for the Physics Concepts Test scores.
2 _ Using the Bloom's strategy of learning for Mastery has led to improvement in the learning of the students (high school freshmen, the subjects of the study (at a percentage of 78% of the experimental group subjects) which is above the percentage doomed the minimum level for the Physics problem solving Skills Test scores.
3 _ The use of Bloom's strategic Mastery learning is more effective for students who learn Physics concepts than the traditional method of instruction.
4 _ The use of Bloom's strategic Mastery learning is more effective for students who learn Physics problem solving skills than the traditional method of instruction.
5 _ There is a significant positive correlation between Physics concepts acquisition and Physics problem solving skills.
Research Recommendations:
Based on the findings of the current study, the following are proposed as recommendations and pedagogical implications:
1 _ Organizing the Physics course contents for high school students based on learning for Mastery strategy;
2 _ Emphasizing formative assessment during instruction even if strategies other than learning for Mastery were used;
3 _ Allotting sufficient time for acquisition and problem solving skills manipulation in a fashion appropriate to the students' potentialities and pace of learning;
4 _ Using tutorials to back up classroom teaching and for remedial instruction into Physics problem solving via prognosis and diagnosis of defects about individual learning mistakes;
5 _ Updating the Physics so as to keep pace with the latest in Physics, involving text books, lab work, and practical lessons appropriate to students at their levels of achievement and capability as well as providing model answers and feed back on Physics problems;
6 _ Moderating the Physics problems so as they may be within the command of the students; i.e., neither too difficult for them to defy their thinking powers, nor too easy to demotivate them;
7 _ Emphasizing pre-service and in-service education and programs for Physics teachers after the strategy-based pedagogy approaches, especially learning for Mastery strategies; as well, training them on how to identify the difficulties in the Physics curriculum and how to rectify these difficulties;
8 _ Reciprocal teaching is essential between mathematics teachers and Physics teachers when cooperation is required in teaching common topics.
Suggestions for Further Research:
Based on the previous findings of this study, the following are suggestions for further research in Physics pedagogy:
1 _ Investigating the effects of Bloom's learning for Mastery strategy on acquiring problem solving skills in chemistry and biology.
2 _ Conducting a comparative study into the learning for Mastery strategy and other relevant strategies as to their effects on learning Physics in different grades.
3 _ Investigating the mathematical thinking skills and concepts required for teaching and learning Physics to high school first year students.
4 _ Investigating the impediments that may hinder instruction using the Bloom's learning for Mastery strategy.
5 _ Conducting a suggested in-service training program for high school Physics teachers in remedial and enrichment instruction using the Bloom's strategy.
Research Keywords
Effect of Using the Learning for Mastery Strategy in Teaching Physics on the High School Freshmen's Acquisition and Use of Physical Concepts and Problem Solving Skills