Effects of Investigative Laboratory Instruction on Content Knowledge and Science Process Skill Achievement Across Learning Styles

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of investigative laboratory integration on student content knowledge and science process skill achievement across learning styles. Treatment groups utilized one of three levels of treatment: subject matter approach without laboratory experimentation, subject matter approach with prescriptive laboratory experimentation, and subject matter approach with investigative laboratory experimentation. A nonequivalent control group quasi-experimental design was used. A purposively selected sample based upon the ability of the teacher to effectively deliver the treatments was selected from the population of students enrolled in an introductory agriscience course. Using regression analyses it was determined that learning style, teaching method, ethnicity, content knowledge pretest scores, and science process skill pretest scores accounted for 33% of the variance in content knowledge gain score. Learning style, gender, teaching method, science process skill pretest scores, and content knowledge pretest scores accounted for 36% of the variance in science process skill gain score. Students taught using the subject matter approach or the investigative laboratory approach were reported as having higher content knowledge and science process skill gain scores than students taught using the prescriptive laboratory approach.

A Cross-Case Comparison of the Academic Integration Human Capital Pre-service Agricultural Educators Retain Prior to Their Teaching Internship

“…Previous research by Myers and Dyer (2006), Parr, Edwards, and Leising (2006), as well as Thompson and Balschweid (2000) support the findings where respondents agreed the integration of academic concepts in agriculture courses would help students with an enhanced recall of material, while the integration of core subject matter was identified as a way to functionally apply math and science skills. The agriculture science classroom was identified by participants as an environment, which reaches a multitude of learners and learning styles, including those labeled "at risk", and therefore integration of academic concepts in agriculture courses will help a larger number of students with academic concepts.…”

Integrating Academics into Agriculture Programs: A Delphi Study to Determine Perceptions of the National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Academy Participants

“…Studies support the findings that students taught by integrating agricultural and scientific principles demonstrated higher achievement than students taught by traditional approaches (Chiasson & Burnett, 2001;Enderlin & Osborne, 1992;Myers & Dyer, 2006;Parr, Edwards, & Leising, 2006;Roegge & Russell, 1990;Whent & Leising, 1998). Attitudinal studies of agriculture teachers have all provided information regarding the perceived barriers, attitudes, and needs of integrating science (Conroy & Walker, 2000;Layfield, Minor, & Waldvogel, 2001;Newman & Johnson, 1993;Thompson & Schumacher, 1998;Warnick & Thompson, 2007), math (Miller & Gliem, 1993;Jansen, Enochs, & Thompson, 2006), and reading (Park & Osborne, 2006).…”

Incorporating Learning Objects in a Curriculum Redesign to Meet Needs of Students with Specific Learning Disabilities in Illinois Agricultural Education Programs

“…This equates to a 30.21% mortality rate for this study. Previous experimental studies in agricultural education using intact classes reported similar or higher mortality rates (Boone, 1988;Dyer, 1995;Flowers, 1986;Myers, 2004) and Jurs and Glass (1971) described mortality rates may be as high as 50%.…”

“…Myers (2004) noted studies have shown that agriscience students are more successful in science courses than students not enrolled in agriscience education. One could purport an expanded effort must be conducted by all elective subjects to document the contributions to student achievement in the areas of math, reading, and science.…”

“…13). Myers (2004) stated agriscience students should exhibit a working knowledge and foundation of science concepts and processes to be successful in the industry and to perform well on achievement tests.…”