Teaching Line Graphs to Tenth Grade Students Having Different Cognitive Developmental Levels by Using Two Different Instructional Modules

Abstract

This study was undertaken to explore two ways of teaching line graphs and to compare line-graphing skills of tenth-grade students having different cognitive developmental levels. Two chemistry classes participated in the study, which lasted approximately three weeks near the beginning of fall semester of 2000. Two intact classes were randomly assigned into one of the two treatment groups; one group completed a line-graphing unit with computer-supported activities called Treatment 1 ( n 1 =22), while the other group completed a line-graphing unit with non-computer-supported activities called Treatment 2 ( n 2 =23). The same teacher taught both treatments to the groups. It was determined that there were no statistically significant differences on line graphing mean scores, as measured by both Individualised Test of Graphing in Science (I-TOGS) and Performance Assessment Test (PAT), between the groups. The results of analysis of variance indicate that there were statistically significant differences among mean scores of the students having different reasoning levels. Analysis of pairwise comparisons among reasoning levels data indicate that formal reasoners significantly outperformed concrete reasoners in line-graphing post-test scores, while there was no significant difference in the line-graphing mean scores between concrete and transitional reasoners. Also Significant main effect was not found between mean scores of transitional and formal reasoners. Data collected indicate that there were no statistically significant interaction effects among treatments and scientific reasoning levels.