ERIC Number: ED358034
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1992
Pages: 95
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Training of Student-Teachers in Discovery Methods of Instruction and Learning [and] Comparing Guided Discovery and Expository Methods: Teaching the Water Cycle in Geography. Research in Teacher Education Monograph Series No. 1/92.
Heywood, John; And Others
This monographic series volume contains two separate monographs. "The Training of Student Teachers in Discovery Methods of Instruction and Learning," (John Heywood, Sarah Heywood) discusses the polarization of discovery learning and expository teaching. It describes a unit in the applied psychology of instruction, commonly known as "the student teacher as researcher programme," which is included in a secondary teacher education course at an Irish university. Students compared two methods of teaching, expository and guided discovery or discovery, utilizing experimental methods. The evidence indicates that, while guided discovery and discovery techniques produce no better pupil test results than expository methods, they do create a better learning environment, one that is more conducive to pupil motivation. Difficulties encountered by student teachers implementing discovery techniques included devising assessment procedures and confusion and reluctance on the part of pupils. The report includes statistical breakdowns on the results of student teachers' experiments and examples of their lesson plans. "Comparing Guided Discovery and Expository Methods: Teaching the Water Cycle in Geography," (Iain Donovan) involved teaching the same geography topic, the water cycle, to two secondary classes of approximately equal ability, using guided discovery learning for one class and expository teaching for the other. Each class was given the same test after the relevant lesson to ascertain which learning strategy was more effective in achieving the common objectives. Findings indicated that low ability students benefited more from the expository lesson whereas, to a less significant degree, high ability pupils benefited more from the guided discovery lesson. The results both confirm and contradict the findings of previous research on guided discovery and expository teaching strategies, both of which are discussed. (IAH)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Action Research, Case Studies, Comparative Analysis, Conventional Instruction, Discovery Learning, Foreign Countries, Geography, Higher Education, Learning Strategies, Lecture Method, Preservice Teacher Education, Resistance to Change, Secondary Education, Secondary School Teachers, Student Evaluation, Student Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Education Curriculum, Teacher Researchers
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Dublin Univ. (Ireland). Dept. of Teacher Education.
Identifiers - Location: Ireland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A