LEARNING DIFFERENCES RESULTING FROM TEACHER- AND STUDENT-CENTERED TEACHING METHODS

THIS INQUIRY INTO THE EFFECTS OF GREATER LEARNER AUTONOMY ON ACHIEVEMENT AMONG TEACHER EDUCATION STUDENTS COMPARED A LECTURE-DISCUSSION METHOD USED IN REGULAR CLASS MEETINGS WITH A "CONTINUOUS PROGRESS" METHOD IN WHICH STUDENTS HAD ONLY TWO FORMAL CLASS MEETINGS DEVOTED TO PROCEDURAL, NOT SUBSTANTIVE MATTERS. ONE CONTROL AND ONE EXPERIMENTAL CLASS (TAUGHT BY THE SAME INSTRUCTOR) AT BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY WERE INVOLVED. IN THE EXPERIMENTAL METHOD THE STUDENT WAS GIVEN A PACKET CONTAINING A LIST OF BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES, INSTRUCTIONS, A LIST OF ASSIGNMENTS, STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS, INTRODUCTORY READINGS, AND, FOR SOME UNITS, A WORKSHEET. HE WAS TESTED UPON COMPLETION OF EACH UNIT AND MOVED TO THE NEXT UNIT IF HE PASSED. IF NOT, HE REPEATED THE UNIT AND WAS RETESTED, SOMETIMES ON A DIFFERENT FORM OF THE TEST. ON A 75-ITEM CRITERION TEST (ALSO USED AS A PRETEST), SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER POST-TEST SCORES WERE EARNED BY THE CONTINUOUS PROGRESS STUDENTS. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN FAVOR OF THE EXPERIMENTAL METHOD WERE FOUND FOR THE 10 STUDENTS WITH THE LOWEST GRADE-POINT AVERAGE, BUT NOT BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS OF 10 STUDENTS WITH THE HIGHEST GRADE POINT AVERAGES. RESULTS WERE CONSIDERED TO JUSTIFY MORE EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF INCREASING STUDENT AUTONOMY FOR LEARNING. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING (NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 16-18, 1967). (AW)