Academic Achievement, Gender, Attitude And Learning Strategies

Year 2006, Volume: 46 Issue: 46, 259 - 275, 01.07.2006

Yrd. Doç. Dr. Neşe Özkal Araş. Gör. Dr. Duygu Çetingöz

Abstract

The aim of this research is to study the strategies used by second grade elementary school students during Social Studies lessons in terms of the variables academic success, attitude towards the lesson and gender. 682 students (343 female and 339 male) randomly chosen from 6th (n=164), 7th (n=265) and 8th (n=253) grades of secondary schools within the borders of Izmir Municipality participated in the research. Research data were collected using “Inquiry Form”, “Social Studies Learning Strategies Scale” and “Social Studies Attitude Scale”. At the end of the research, it was seen that students' strategy use is affected by the attitudes of students towards the course, their success levels and genders. Summary With the influence of cognitive theory, role of the learner has changed from the passive recipient to a form where the learner regulates his own learning and can make decisions related to his own learning process. In this respect, learning strategies have become an important student characteristic during the learning process. Learning strategies help the learner plan and evaluate, control his own learning, make decisions related to his own learning process and identify the points he has difficulties in. By using learning strategies, learners learn how to motivate themselves and how to think. Learners' use of learning strategies is influenced by academic and affective students' characteristics. Research conducted in different subject matter and learning levels indicate that successful learners use more learning strategies in comparison with unsuccessful learners (Jimenez, Garcia and Pearson, 1996; Medo, 2000; Phakiti, 2003), and the former is more active, purposeful and flexible when compared to the latter (Loranger, 1994; Schutz, Drogozs, White and Distefeno 1998). This is because successful learners' self-perception is more positive and they depend their success on effort. Besides using learning strategies in an effective way (Meltzer and Miller, 2001), successful learners have more information about the strategies (Montegue and Boss, 1990). Attitude is another student characteristic that effects the use of strategies. Students with positive attitude use more learning strategies (Butler; 1999; Ho, 1998; Najar, 1997; Purdie and Oliver; 1999). However, studies between gender and use of strategies vary in terms of subject matter. It was seen that in numerical lessons female students use open traditional strategies whereas male students (Carr and Jessup, 1997) use closed traditional strategies (Gallagher and De Lisi, 1994). Research conducted in language courses indicate differences such as the fact that female students use more strategies than male students (Sheorey, 1999), there are not any significant differences between females and males in terms of use of strategies (Young and Oxford, 1997) and male students use more strategies than female students. Research results, in general, show that students' use of strategies is influenced by their academic and affective characteristics. However, research results related to gender and strategy use seem to have discrepancies. For this reason, research results that study gender and strategy use in different levels and different subject matter are required. Moreover, studies on literature show that research related to learning strategies are conducted more intensively in foreign languages and mathematics. Defining the strategies used by learners in Social Studies lessons will help defining affective strategies related to subject matter. It is hoped that in this way either unsuccessful learners will be provided with special strategy programmes or data related to teaching of strategies by integrating them with the lessons will be achieved. In addition, studies show that learners' attitudes towards Social Studies decrease as their level of education increases (Fraser, 1981; Moroz, 1997; Thiveos and Moroz, 2001) and the lesson itself is not among the learners' career plans (Chiodo and Byord, 2004). Achievements in one subject matter effect the attitudes in a positive way. The decrease in unsuccessful learners' attitude towards Social Studies is a proof of this fact (Aşçı, 2004). Teaching unsuccessful learners affective learning strategies will be useful for them to increase their success and to develop positive attitude towards the lesson. For these reasons, the aim of this research is to study the strategies used by second grade elementary school students during Social Studies lessons in terms of the variables academic success, attitude towards the lesson and gender. Method 682 students (343 female and 339 male) studying at the sixth (n=164), seventh (n=265) and eighth (n=253) grades of six schools were included in the research. These schools were chosen with random sampling method among the state (not private schools) elementary schools in Konak, Izmir. Data in the research were collected with “Inquiry Form”, “Social Studies Scale of Attitude” and “Social Studies Scale of Learning Strategies”. During the process of data collection, in each of the 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes of elementary schools in the universe Social Studies Scale of Attitude and Social Studies Scale of Learning Strategies were applied to all students during one of the other lessons rather than Social Studies lessons. Collected data were analysed with SPSS programme by using the mean ( ), standard deviation (S), percentage (%), t-test and two way variance analysis (ANOVA). Results Following the research it was determined that students' attitudes towards the lesson and their success level effect the use of strategies. Students with positive attitude towards Social Studies use more learning strategies in this lesson. Successful students also seem to be using more strategies than unsuccessful learners. When findings were taken into consideration in terms of gender, 6th, 7th and 8th grade students were found to be using more learning strategies than male students during Social Studies lessons. Yet, it was seen that gender and success level do not cause a significant difference in the use of learning strategies by the students. In general, it was designated that all students who were included in the population of the research seem to be using strategies rarely. Discussions And Conclusion Research findings which show that successful learners use more learning strategies (Meltzer and friends, 2001; Wolters, 1999; Medo, 2000; Chou, 2002; Montegue and Boss, 1990) are parallel to the ones achieved in this research. Furthermore, research also shows that attitude is another student trait that effects the use of strategies (Ho, 1998; Purdie and Oliver, 1999). It seems that there is a positive relationship between attitude towards Social Studies and academic success (Aşçı, 2004). When the findings are studied in this context, it is possible to say that successful students' attitude towards the lesson is positive when compared to unsuccessful students. Therefore, students with high level of success and positive attitude use more strategies than students with low level of success and negative attitude. While use of strategies is effected by positive attitudes and academic success, it also effects these two student traits in a positive way (Carroll and Leander; 2001; Ho, 1998; Huffman and Spires; 1992; Uttero, 1992). When the findings of this research were taken into consideration in terms of gender, it was seen that female students at 6th, 7th and 8th grades use more learning strategies than male students in Social Studies. This result seems to be parallel with the results of the research conducted by Medo (2000) in Social Studies. Different results seen in research carried out in different subject matter show that in larger universe and different learning levels about gender and use of strategies, research in which intermediary process variables are evaluated with bias characteristics is required. However, research shows that gender and level of success cannot be the causes of a significant difference on students' use of learning strategies. In general, it is seen that all the students in the universe have not used the learning strategies frequently. All students should be trained about the strategies and using them. Training the teachers about this issue is one way of realising this. Moreover, using active learning methods in which students are actively included in the learning process instead of traditional methods of teaching will increase the use of strategies (Kılıç, 2004; Özkal, Yıldız, Altunay and Tonbul, 2002

Keywords

social studies , academic achievement , gender , attitude , strategy use

Akademik Başarı, Cinsiyet, Tutum ve Öğrenme Stratejilerinin Kullanımı

Abstract

Araştırmanın amacı, ilköğretim ikinci kademe öğrencilerinin Sosyal Bilgiler dersini öğrenirken kullandıkları stratejileri akademik başarı, derse yönelik tutum ve cinsiyet değişkenlerine göre incelemektir. Araştırmaya İzmir Büyük Şehir Belediyesi sınırları içinde yer alan ilköğretim okullarının altıncı (n=164), yedinci (n=265) ve sekizinci (n=253) sınıflarında öğrenim görmekte olan 682 öğrenci (343 kız ve 339 erkek) katılmıştır. Araştırma verileri öğrencilere uygulanan “Bilgi Formu”, “Sosyal Bilgiler Öğrenme Stratejileri Ölçeği” ve “Sosyal Bilgiler Tutum Ölçeği” ile toplanmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda strateji kullanımının öğrencilerin derse yönelik tutumlarından, başarı düzeylerinden ve cinsiyetlerinden etkilendiği belirlenmiştir.

Keywords

sosyal bilgiler , akademik başarı , strateji kullanımı

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