Effects of using inquiry-based learning model with fading scaffolding technique on biology concepts and explanation making ability of upper secondary school students
Abstract:
This study was a quasi-experimental research. The purposes of this research were to 1) investigate biology concepts of students learned through inquiry-based learning model with fading scaffolding, 2) investigate explanation making ability of students learned through inquiry-based learning model with fading scaffolding, 3) compare biology concepts of student between group learned through inquiry-based learning model with fading scaffolding and group learned through inquiry-based learning model, and 4) compare explanation making ability of students learned through inquiry-based learning model with fading scaffolding and group learned through inquiry-based learning model. The samples were two classroom of ten grade students at Bangkok Christian College who studied in first semester of the academic year 2009. The inquiry-based learning model with fading scaffolding was implemented to the group of 48-student-classroom and the inquiry-based learning model was implemented to another classroom of 50 students. There were 2 research instruments, which were 1) biology concepts test with the level of reliability at 0.83, the level of difficulty between 0.33 - 0.77, and the level of discrimination between 0.25 -0.88 and 2) the explanation making ability test, which was consisted of 2 sections. The first section was the evaluation form of scientific explanation making process and the second section was the explanation making test with the level of reliability at 0.83, the level of difficulty between 0.22 - 0.26, and the level of discrimination between 0.55 -0.63. The collected data were analyzed by arithmetic mean, mean of percentage, standard deviation and t-test. The research findings were summarized as follows: 1. The biology concepts mean score of students who learned through inquiry-based learning model with fading scaffolding was at the percentage of 71.53, which higher than the criterion score set at the percentage of 70. 2. The mean score of explanation making ability of students who learned through inquiry-based learning model with fading scaffolding can be divided into 3 phases i.e. (1) guided inquiry, (2) less-guided inquiry, and (3) unguided inquiry. Studentsmean score of explanation making ability were at the percentages of 70.83, 77.08, and 89.58 in sequence and the mean score of explanation making ability were at the percentage of 78.33, 88.33, and 95.00 in sequence, which were higher than the passing level of criterion score set at the percentage of 70 , and can be rated as good, good and excellence in sequence. Students percentages of mean score of explanation making ability after learning had 2 sections; mean score of explanation making process was at the percentages of 89.58 and mean score of explanation making was at the percentage of 76.47, which were higher than the criterion score set at 70. Consequently, the ability in making explanation can be rated as excellence and good in sequence. 3. Percentage of biology concepts mean score of students who learned through inquiry-based learning model with fading scaffolding was higher than percentage of biology concepts mean score of students who learned through inquiry-based learning model at 0.05 level of significance. 4. Percentage of explanation making abilitys mean score of students who learned through inquiry-based learning model with fading scaffolding was higher than percentage of explanation making abilitys mean score of students who learned model at 0.05 level of significance.