Constructing engaged learning in Scientific Writing

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to incorporate a blended pedagogical approach to Scientific Writing, and assess its effectiveness in improving students’ writing skills and scientific literacy. Effective writing is vital to the dissemination of scientific information and a critical skill for undergraduate science students. Various pedagogical strategies have been successful in improving writing skills and developing scientific literacy. Design/methodology/approach – Mean scores on draft and revision assignments were examined longitudinally (2013 cohort, n=51) and across cohorts (2011, 2012, and 2013; combined n=94). Domain-specific composite scores were calculated from survey items addressing students’ self-perceptions of knowledge (K), general and scientific writing skills (GWS and SWS), and attitudes (A) related to scientific literacy. Changes in composite scores were analyzed using paired t-tests, and cross-cohort differences were examined via MANOVAs (SPSS, p < 0.05). Findings – Mean scores on revisions following peer review and instructor feedback were significantly higher than those for drafts. Students ' perceptions of their K, GWS, SWS, and A increased significantly over the semester in the 2013 cohort, and were significantly higher in the 2013 cohort than those for the two earlier cohorts. Students identified peer reviews, revisions and other writing assignments, and literature searches as effective learning strategies. Research limitations/implications – One limitation of the study was that the authors lacked a control group for comparison. Pre-course survey data were only available for the 2013 cohort, and these data were incomplete, particularly with regard to perceptions of attitudes toward science and writing. Instructor feedback was not separated from that obtained through peer review. Thus, it was not possible to determine their respective impacts on students’ scores on revision assignments. Also, the number of writing assignments and peer reviews completed varied among the three cohorts enrolled in Scientific Writing. Practical implications – Using a blended approach to teaching scientific writing significantly improved students’ writing skills and enhanced their perceptions regarding their knowledge, skills, and abilities related to science and writing. Students identified peer reviews, writing abstracts, and outlining an Introduction as most helpful in improving their SWS. They identified the final peer review, the revision assignment of the Results section, literature searches, and poster presentations of research as most helpful in improving their scientific knowledge and understanding. Engaging students in a variety of pedagogical strategies was successful in achieving specific learning outcomes in an undergraduate human physiology course. Originality/value – The approach to peer review was more structured than those of previous studies. Engaging students with a variety of teaching and learning strategies improved both writing skills and scientific literacy in undergraduate human physiology.

Blended Learning for Improving English Writing Skills among University Students: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Four studies were from China (Wang & Huang, 2020;Chen, 2021;Sun & Asmawi, 2023;Meng, 2023), two studies were from the Philippines (Ebron & Mabuan, 2021;Hajan & Padagas, 2021) and one study was from South Korea So & Lee (2013); Thailand Dawilai et al (2017), Japan Dawilai et al ( 2021), Malaysia Leduning & Wah (2013), the United States (Geithner & Pollastro, 2015), Canada (Stouck, 2019), Saudi Arabia Chatta & Haque (2020) and the United Kingdom (Russo et al, 2022). A further study focused on curriculum implementation in six European Union countries -Croatia, Latvia, Slovenia, Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic (Luka, 2021).…”

Peningkatan Keterampilan Menulis Narasi melalui Model Pembelajaran SAVI Berbantuan Media CD Interaktif

“…Hal ini didasarkan di dalam model pembelajaran SAVI terdapat unsur somatik, visual, audio, intelektual yang mampu dibantu dengan menggunakan media CD interaktif karena di dalam CD Interaktif ini terdapat unsur somatik, visual, audio, intelektual melalui gambar, video, audio, permainan, petunjuk pembelajaran dan perintah untuk melakukan kegiatan yang mendukung pembelajaran menulis narasi sehingga efektif membantu proses pembelajaran menulis berlangsung. Menurut Geithner & Pollastro (2015) berpendapat bahwa kegiatan yang dilakukan dalam pembelajaran dengan memusatkan perhatian siswa, dan menjadikan siswa sebagai pusat pembelajaran dapat meningkatkan aktivitas pembelajaran lebih efektif dan kondusif, serta membantu siswa berpikir, berkomunikasi, dan fokus. Berdasarkan penjelasan tersebut, maka peneliti berkeinginan untuk menghadirkan penelitian dengan judul "Peningkatan Keterampilan Menulis Narasi melalui Model Pembelajaran SAVI (Somatic, Auditory, Visual, Intellectual) berbantuan Media CD Interaktif pada Siswa Kelas V di SD Anak Saleh".…”