Effects of outcomes-based education and traditional lecture approaches in overcoming alternative conceptions in physics

Abstract

The incidence and prevalence of alternative conceptions in science have been reported by a number of researchers. This article reports findings of a study involving the development and implementation of two intervention programmes to address alternative conceptions related to interference and diffraction of waves among 133 first year university physics students. The two interventions were (1) a learner-centred approach based on the principles of outcomesbased education (OBE), and (2) a teacher-centred approach in the form of a traditional lecture, characterised by frontal dissemination of information while students passively listened and took notes. A total of nine alternative conceptions had earlier been identified in the pilot part of the study. In determining the effectiveness of the interventions, a pre-test/post-test comparison group design was followed. The results revealed statistically significant gains between the preand post-test scores for both the OBE and traditional lecture groups (p < 0.05). Qualitative data showed that most of the pre-existing alternative conceptions appeared to have been alleviated, although not completely overcome, by both interventions. There was no statistically significant difference between the results of the OBE and traditional lecture interventions. The implications of these findings are discussed, and recommendations are made for effective teaching and learning, as well as for further research.

Investigating Grade 10 Learners’ Achievements in Photosynthesis Using Conceptual Change Model

“…This is vindicated in the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) in South Africa where the emphasis is on learner-centred approach, which requires learners to take responsibility for their own learning; to be active in the classroom and to participate at all levels (Department of Education, 2003). In South African schools and other parts of the globe, traditional teaching is still practiced (Broadie, 2006;Oludipe & Oludipe, 2010;Coetzee & Imenda, 2012;Kazeni & Onwu, 2013). The traditional teaching method is where educator-centred approaches dominate the teaching process.…”

“…Constructivism recognizes that learning is a cognitive process involving construction and reconstruction of ideas. Constructivism recognizes that the learner is a meaning-maker rather than a passive recipient of factual knowledge (Coetzee & Imenda, 2012). Fundamentally, the constructivist approach to teaching recognizes that the conditions that inspire conceptual change are internally induced (Duit, 1996).…”