Meaningful learning of cell division and genetics

Abstract

Meaningful learning is where the learner actively integrates new knowledge to his or her existing knowledge base. It involves the use of cognitive strategies and self-regulation. What motivates a learner to do so is found to be related to variables like the motivational beliefs, personal goal orientation and affect as well as the perception towards the teacher and his or her classroom context. The study surveyed a group of S6 biology students to examine the correlations between some of the different variables noted above. Students learning of cell division and inheritance is investigated to find out how pedagogy involving hybrid dynamic visualization (integration of dynamic animations to a static diagram) may promote meaningful learning. Two teachers, a subject teacher and a tutor, taught the same topics to the same group. The perception towards these two teachers and their classroom contexts were compared to see how much their perceptions were correlated to the student’s motivational beliefs, personal goal orientation, self-regulated learning behaviour and affect. The findings of the study support previous research that students relate their motivational beliefs and goal orientations to the cognitive strategy used. Besides, female students relate their personal goal orientations, self-regulated learning behavior and emotions to teachers of either gender more than male counterparts. The tutor and her classroom context have been perceived as more mastery goal oriented which aligns with the motivational beliefs and personal goal orientation of the students, whereas the subject teacher is perceived as one with a mixture of both mastery and performance goals and this has no statistical correlation with students’ motivational beliefs, achievement goal orientation or self-regulated learning strategies. The pedagogy seemed to more successfully help students master the concepts of cell division and inheritance and apply them to solve genetics problems compared with traditional teaching. Individual interviews, however, shows that the relevant skills of reasoning are yet to be improved. To conclude, a classroom with a mastery goal orientation through carefully designed pedagogy may promote meaningful learning.