Examining Science Learning and Attitude by At-Risk Students After They Used a Multimedia-Enriched Problem-Based Learning Environment
Main Article Content
Abstract
Most of the previous problem-based learning (PBL) studies have been conducted with gifted or regular education students and have shown successes. However, little research on PBL exists for disadvantaged middle school students, especially students who are considered to be at risk of failing academically. In this study, we examined the use of a multimedia-enriched PBL science environment by at-risk middle school students. The results, using a mixed-methods design, showed that these students significantly improved their science knowledge and attitude toward science after they engaged in PBL learning. While there were no differences in the scores between the genders, the gain scores from pre- to post-tests in science knowledge and attitude toward science for the girls were larger. A strong positive relationship between attitude toward science and science knowledge was also found. Such research should provide much needed insights on the effect of PBL for all students, not only the gifted but also the underrepresented populations.
Article Details
1. Publication and Promotion: In consideration of the Publisher’s agreement to publish the Work, Author hereby grants and assigns to Publisher the non-exclusive right to print, publish, reproduce, or distribute the Work throughout the world in all means of expression by any method now known or hereafter developed, including electronic format, and to market or sell the Work orany part of it as Publisher sees fit. Author further grants Publisher the right to use Author’s name in association with the Work inpublished form and in advertising and promotional materials
2. Copyright: Copyright of the Work remains in Author’s name.
3. Prior Publication and Attribution: Author agrees not to publish the Work in print form prior to publication of the Work by the Publisher. Author agrees to cite, by author, title, and publisher, the original Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning publication when publishing the Work elsewhere
4. Author Representations: The Author represents and warrants that the Work:
(a) is the Author’s original Work and that Author has full power to enter into this Agreement;
(b) does not infringe the copyright or property of another;
(c) contains no material which is obscene, libelous, defamatory or previously published, in whole or in part.
Author shall indemnify and hold Publisher harmless against loss of expenses arising from breach of any such warranties.
5. Licensing and Reuse: Reuse of the published Work will be governed by a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc/4.0/). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon the Work non-commercially; although new works must acknowledge the original Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning publication and be non-commercial, they do not have to be licensed on the same terms.
References
Alien Rescue (Version 6.1) [Computer software]. Austin, TX: University of Texas at Austin.
Barmby, P., Kind, P. M., & Jones, K. (2008). Examining changing attitudes in secondary school science. International Journal of Science Education, 30(8), 1075–1093.
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Brown, S. W., Lawless, K. A., & Boyer, M. A. (2013). Promoting positive academic dispositions using a web-based PBL environment: The GlobalEd 2 project. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 7(1), 67–90. https:// doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1389
Christidou, V. (2011). Interest, attitudes and images related to science: Combining students’ voices with the voices of school science, teachers, and popular science. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 6(2), 141–159.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
deChambeau, A. L., & Ramlo, S. E. (2017). STEM high school teachers’ views of implementing PBL: An investigation using anecdote circles. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 11(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1566
Diggs, L. L. (1997). Student attitude toward and achievement in science in a problem based learning educational experience, (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Missouri–Columbia, Columbia, MO.
Ebenezer, J. V., & Zoller, U. (1993). Grade 10 students’ perceptions of and attitudes toward science teaching and school science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 30(2), 175–186.
Ertmer, P. A., & Simons, K. D. (2006). Jumping the PBL implementation hurdle: Supporting the efforts of K–12 teachers. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 1(1), 40–54. https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1005
Gallagher, S. A. (2008). Designed to fit: Educational implications of gifted adolescents’ cognitive development. In F. Dixon (Ed.), Programs and services for gifted secondary students: A guide to recommended practices (pp. 3–20). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
Gallagher, S. A., & Gallagher, J. J. (2013). Using problem-based learning to explore unseen academic potential. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 7(1), 111–131. https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1322
Gardner, R. C. (1985). Social psychology and second language learning: The role of attitudes and motivation. London: Edward Arnold.
Germann, P. J. (1988). Development of the attitude toward science in school assessment and its use to investigate the relationship between science achievement and attitude toward science in school. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 25(8), 689–703.
Hillman, S. J., Zeeman, S. I., Tilburg, C. E., & List, H. E. (2016). My Attitudes Toward Science (MATS): The development of a multidimensional instrument measuring students’ science attitudes. Learning Environments Research, 19(2), 203–219.
Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2013). Creating a learning space in problem-based learning. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 7(1), 24–39.
Hmelo-Silver, C. E., & Barrows, H. S. (2015). Problem-based learning: Goals for learning and strategies for facilitating. In A. Walker, H. Leary, C. E. Hmelo-Silver, & P. A. Ertmer (Eds.), Essential readings in problem-based learning: Exploring and extending the legacy of Howard S. Barrows (pp. 69–84). West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press.
Hwang, G. J., Wu, P. H., & Chen, C. C. (2012). An online game approach for improving students’ learning performance in web-based problem-solving activities. Computers & Education, 59(4), 1246–1256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.05.009
Karaçalli, S., & Korur, F. (2014). The effects of project‐based learning on students’ academic achievement, attitude, and retention of knowledge: The subject of “electricity in our lives.” School Science and Mathematics, 114(5), 224–235.
Kim, B. & Reeves, T. (2007). Reframing research on learning with technology: In search of the meaning of cognitive tools, Instructional Science, 35, 207–256
Kim, M. C., & Hannafin, M. J. (2011). Scaffolding 6th graders’ problem solving in technology-enhanced science classrooms: A qualititative case study. Instructional Science, 39(3), 255–282.
Kimmons, R., Liu, M., Kang, J. & Santana, L. (2012). Attitude, achievement, and gender in a middle school science-based ludic simulation for learning. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 40(4), 341–370.
Lajoie, S. P. (2000). Computers as cognitive tools: No more walls (Vol. 2). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Lajoie, S. P., Hmelo-Silver, C. E., Wiseman, J. G., Chan, L. K., Lu, J., Khurana, C., . . . & Kazemitabar, M. (2014). Using online digital tools and video to support international problem-based learning. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning. https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1412
Lee, J., & Liu, M. (2017). Design of fantasy and their effect on learning and engagement in a serious game. In R. Zheng & M. K. Gardner (Eds.), Handbook of research on serious games for educational application (pp. 197–216). Hershey, PA: IGI Global Press.
Liu, M., Horton, L., Kang, J., Kimmons, R., & Lee, J. (2013). Using a ludic simulation to make learning of middle school space science fun. International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, 5(1), 66–86. https://doi.org/10.4018/jgcms.2013010105
Liu, M., Horton, L., Lee, J., Kang, J., Rosenblum, J., O’Hair, M., & Lu, C. W. (2014). Creating a multimedia enhanced problem-based learning environment for middle school science: Voices from the developers. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1422
Liu, M, Horton, L., Olmanson, J., & Toprac, P. (2011). A study of learning and motivation in a new media enriched environment for middle school science. Educational Technology Research and Development, 59(2), 249–266. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-011-9192-7
Liu, M., Hsieh, P., Cho, Y., & Schallert, D. L. (2006). Middle school students’ self-efficacy, attitudes, and achievement in a computer-enhanced problem-based learning environment. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 17(3), 225–242.
Liu, M., Rosenblum, J., Horton, L., & Kang, J. (2014). Designing science learning with game-based approaches. Computers in the School, 31(1/2), 84–102. https://doi.org/10.1080/07380569.2014.879776
Liu, M., Wivagg, J. Geurtz, R., Lee, S. T., & Chang. M. (2012). Examining how middle school science teachers implement a technology enriched problem-based learning environment. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning. 6(2), 46–84. https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1348
Marsh, H. W. (1992). Content specialty of relations between academic achievement and academic self-concept. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84, 35–42.
Merritt, J., Lee, M. Y., Rillero, P., & Kinach, B. M. (2017). Problem-based learning in K–8 mathematics and science education: A literature review. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning. https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1674
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2013). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Osborne, J., Simon, S., & Collins, S. (2003). Attitudes towards science: A review of the literature and its implications. International Journal of Science Education, 25(9), 1049–1079.
Pol, H. J., Harskamp, E. G., & Suhre, C. J. (2008). The effect of the timing of instructional support in a computer-supported problem-solving program for students in secondary physics education. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(3), 1156–1178.
Sak, U. (2004). A synthesis of research on psychological types of gifted adolescents. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 15(2), 70–79.
Sánchez, J., & Olivares, R. (2011). Problem solving and collaboration using mobile serious games. Computers & Education, 57(3), 1943–1952. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.04.012
Şendağ, S., & Odabaşı, H. F. (2009). Effects of an online problem based learning course on content knowledge acquisition and critical thinking skills. Computers & Education, 53(1), 132–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compe-du.2009.01.008
Sinclair, S., & Rockwell, G. (2016). Voyant Tools. Retrieved from http://voyant-tools.org/
Strobel, J., & Van Barneveld, A. (2009). When is PBL more effective? A meta-synthesis of meta-analyses comparing PBL to conventional classrooms. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning. https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1046
U.S. Department of Education. (2012). Race to the Top District Competition Draft. Retrieved from https://www.ed.gov/race-top/district-competition/definitions