Teaching and learning

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Chapter 3 Methodology

Introduction

This investigation attempted to determine the effect of teaching Grade 7 learners by means of the teacher-centred strategy using lectures, and the learner-centred strategy using cooperative learning. The learners were from five schools in the peri-urban and urban areas of KwaZulu Natal. The comparison between a traditional lecture and participation in a cooperative learning lesson is made to determine the contribution of each to promote knowledge retention and attitude change.

Research Design

The quantitative approach

This study followed a quantitative research design in the form of a pre-, post- and delayed post-test control group design (Tuckman, 1999:162). Quantitative research allows for specific questions to be asked and collects quantifiable data. It then uses statistics to analyse that data and provide an unbiased result (Creswell, 2008:47)
A quantitative approach was chosen because the study aimed to describe trends and provide an explanation of the relationship between teaching methods, knowledge retention and attitude change. Because quantitative research focuses on answering a narrow question using measurable data, the aim of this study is to explain how the variable teaching may affect knowledge and attitude.

The two treatments

Two groups were employed in the design: One group was exposed to co-operative learning while the other group was not. Both groups were given a pre-test and a post-test evaluation, and both groups were exposed to the same experiences, with the exception of the differential treatment described above. Three months after the initial study the schools were re-visited and the learners were given a delayed post-test questionnaire.

The research instrument

Data was collected using a questionnaire (Appendix I) which allowed for the investigation of the effect of two teaching strategies and teaching methods aimed at determining if cooperative learning is more effective than using the ‘traditional’ lecture method for creating positive environmental attitudes and knowledge retention in both the short and long-term periods. The questions designed for the purpose of the study, were chosen to suit the intellectual and environmental background of the learners, and were relevant to the lesson that was presented.
The questionnaire has four sections:
Section A:
The first section focused on demographics, which included gender, age, number of people in their home, tap location, where their food was sourced and if they are taught environmental education at school.Section B
Section B contained a knowledge scale consisting of 10 multiple choice questions.
Section C
An attitude scale consisting of 10 statements rated on a 5 point interval (Likert) scale (1=Strongly agree; 2=Agree; 3=Undecided; 4=Disagree; 5=Strongly disagree) comprised Section C.
Section D
The last section consisted of two open-ended questions about what learners perceived as environmental problems and what they could do to solve these problems.
Section A allowed for a summary of the background of the learners who participated in the study. This was thought to be relevant in terms of comparing their social standing with their environmental knowledge.
Section B contained 10 knowledge-based questions that were designed specifically for the content presented during the study period, and covered ecological links and human impact on the environment. This section aimed to determine the learners’ level of knowledge related to the content before and after the lessons.
Section C contained an attitude scale that consisted of 10 statements to which learners had to provide a response on a 5 point Likert-type scale (1= strongly agree; 2=Agree; 3=Undecided; 4=Disagree; 5=Strongly Disagree). All questions were phrased in such ways that “strongly agree” showed a favourable response and “strongly disagree” suggested a negative response. This scale was used to measure the learners’ attitudes towards environmental issues that were covered by the lesson. These issues included water usage, food resources and the food web, biodiversity, human impact, litter and pollution, and how people can make a difference.
Section D was used to determine the perception of what an environmental problem is, whether learners perceived problems to be in a local, national or global context, and if the learners believe that they could do something to solve environmental problems.

The pilot study

To ensure validity of the data that was collected, the questionnaire was piloted on a group of 54 Grade 7 learners from Camperdown Primary School who also formed part of a Natal Portland Cement (NPC) outreach programme. These learners were of a similar age and socioeconomic background as those of the sample population. This group also formed part of the intended test population, as they were from the same area and followed the same requirements in order to be a part of the outreach programme (which will be discussed further in 3.3). They were, however, not part of the sample group that participated in the actual study.
The pilot study was conducted on 12 February 2009 at Camperdown Primary School by members of the outreach team. Learners were given a pre-test questionnaire before the lesson was conducted, and then given a post test questionnaire following the lesson.
The questionnaire contained the four sections outlined in 3.2.3. However, Section C had 30 attitude statements instead of 10. This allowed for the possibility of removing some of the statements due to unsuitability. The lesson conducted at Camperdown Primary School was the same as the lesson to be conducted during the study. By presenting the same lesson, we would be able to determine whether the questionnaire would be suitable for the actual study lesson.
A correlation was run between the response scores obtained by each person on each item, and the scores obtained by each person across the whole scale. Increased correlation indicated a stronger relationship, so only questions with a score of 0.5 were used.
Results of the correlation allowed for the removal or change of questions that may have been poorly worded or where there may have been ambiguity. It was found that five of the questions from Section B were unsuitable and these were re-worded. The unsuitability was found to be mainly due to choice of words, and subsequently simpler words were used instead. The pilot study also indicated that 22 of the questions from Section C were unsuitable due to a weak correlation. The 20 questions with the lowest correlations were removed, and the remaining two were re-worded. A second pilot test was not conducted as the questions were reviewed for clarity and distribution by Princess Msomi, the Outreach Coordinator, who visits many of these schools within this area, and has an understanding of the learners’ language capabilities. There were no discrepancies found in Section D, so the questions in this section remained unaltered.

Chapter 1: Introduction 
1.1 Introduction to the study
1.2 Background to the problem
1.3 Purpose of the study
1.4 Research Design
1.5 The significance of the study
1.6 Limitations of the study
1.7 Organisation of the dissertation
Chapter 2: Literature Review 
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Teaching strategies and teaching methods
2.3 Teaching and learning
2.4 Facilitating learning through Environmental Education (EE) programmes
2.5 Summary
Chapter 3: Methodology
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Research Design
3.3 Sample Population
3.4 Data Collection
3.5 Data Analysis
3.6 Ethical Considerations
3.7 Validity
3.8 Reliability
3.9 Summary
Chapter 4: Results, Interpretation and Discussion of Results 
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Results
4.3 Summary
Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations 
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Summary of the Research Findings
5.3 Conclusions
5.4. Implications and Limitations
5.5 Recommendations
Rerferences
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A STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF PARTICULAR TEACHING METHODS IN CONSERVATION EDUCATION ON KNOWLEDGE RETENTION AND ATTITUDE CHANGE