Efectos académicos de una enseñanza mixta versus metodología única centrada en el profesor y enfoques de aprendizaje

Abstract

Recent research in the area of higher education appears to indicate that a mixed teaching methodology that combines direct instruction by the teacher and student-centered activities improves the quality of learning, as indicated by student satisfaction and academic performance. However, the successful implementation of such methodology depends to a great extent on the teacher?s understanding of how students approach their learning. In light of this thesis, the present study seeks to: (1) identify the engineering students? approaches to learning; (2) determine if a mixed methodology that combines lectures and problem-based learning (PBL) activities improves the quality of students? academic results more than traditional teaching methodology that consists primarily of the teacher?s explanations and assignments; and (3) explore the relationships between students? academic results and the approaches to learning and the teaching-learning methods that have been investigated. Utilizing a quasiexperimental design, 160 engineering students were divided into two groups: an experimental group where students completed the course with a mixed teaching methodology, and a control group wherein students attended a course following a more teacher-centered methodology. The analyzed results show that engineering students mainly adopt a deep learning approach. One of the main findings of this study is that a mixed methodology, such as the presented in this work, is more effective because it improves students? satisfaction and academic performance significantly. It also promotes deeper processing than a teacher-centered methodology that is based on lectures and individual practical assignments. In addition, it has been supported that the main approaches to learning that the students in the study used are not consistent. The methods that they use vary significantly depending on the requirements of the instructional context and how students understand it.