Abstract:
This classroom based instruction was developed as experimentd research to study the effectivenessof a constructivistic instructional model. The model utilized students' cooperative learning tocreate their own body of knowledge through problem-solving activities. The study comparedlearning outcomes of constructivistic and conventional teaching strategies. The hypothesis of thisstudy was "Students leaming through a constructivist method have higher competencies inproblem-solving than those learning fiom conventional teaching". Research tools of the studywere teaching plan for both teaching strategies, test items for learning achievement, and learningbehavior observation sheetThe content taught was extracted from a D.C. circuit course. The materials were analyzed andreformulated into a learning structured pattern focussing on the relationship of voltage and currentof Kirschoff, Mesh current, Node voltage, Thevenin and Norton theorem. Two teaching planswere formulated from tfiis content. The constructivist lesson involved problem-solving activitiesemploying cooperative learning while the conventional teaching followed lecturing stepsaccording to the text. Teaching objectives and learning activities of the two teaching plans werevalidated and unanimously approved by expertsAchievement test items were developed for measuring students' learning outcomes . Eightyitems of the test were designed for use as pre- and pmt-test measurments of four levels ofcognitive abilities. From item analysis, tests items possessed the following characteristics: 0.26discriminating power, 0.44 diffculty index, and 0.82 reliability. The test items were also approvedby test experts in terms of content validity, with an index of concurrance of 0.6 -1.00. Anothertest consisting of 40 items was also developed as a formative test.Forty high vocational certificate students fbm electrical department, Petchaburi technical collegewere randomly selected for the shdy. Twenty of them were classified as a control group learningwith conventional teaching. Another twenty students were assigned as an experimental grouplearning with constructivist teaching strategies. They were subdivided into smaller groups forlearning by exchanging ideas cooperatively in the problem-solving activities of the lesson.The study found that students in the experimental group had an overall achievement higher thanthose who were in the control group at a level of significance of 0.1. Students in both groups,however, did not show differences in problem solving abilities as expected. It was found from adeeper analysis that the experimental group could comprehend information more deeply andpossessed more abilities in analysis than those of the control goup at a level of significance of 0.5.No significant differences were found in the abilities to apply knowledge. This unexpected resultmight be due to the inappropriateness of the test items used and insufficent time to develop theseabilities. It was found from observation that the experimental group were more enthusiatic in theirlearning participation, and in exchanging ideas among their groups. They were more interested andmore active in searching for and using learning resources.