Effects Of Approach To Teaching On Student Achievement, Retention And Attitude

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine which approach, problem solving or subject matter, was the most effective in teaching high school vocational agriculture students as measured by which approach produces higher levels of student achievement test scores, better retention of student learning, and better student attitudes toward instruction upon completion of the instructional unit. The problem solving approach is a student-centered approach to teaching where the central and essential characteristic is solving problems (Binkley and Tulloch, 1981). Students participate in the learning process by contributing problems, analyzing the factors associated with the problems, developing possible solutions to the problems, placing the solution(s) into action, and evaluating the results of the solution. The subject matter approach is a teacher-centered approach to teaching where students are more passive participants in the learning process. Students listen to the information, participate in limited discussion, take notes, and retrieve or recall the information for evaluation purposes. With the subject matter approach the focus is more on acquisition of information than on group driven problem solving.