Effectiveness of the Use of Educational Software in Teaching Biology /Učinkovitost primjene edukativnih računalnih programa u nastavi biologije

Abstract

The paper analyzes comparative effectiveness of the use of educational software and traditional teaching methods in biology instruction for high school students. A random sample consisted of 173 students of grade 12 of a high school in Zrenjanin, Serbia, who were randomly distributed into the control and experimental groups. The students in the experimental group learned biology content (Mechanisms of Heredity) using educational software, whereas the students in the control group learned the same content using the traditional teaching methods. The research was carried out using the pretest - posttest equivalent groups design. All instruments (the pretest, the posttest and the retest) contained the questions belonging to three different cognitive domains: knowing, understanding and reasoning. The analysis of the posttest and the retest results showed that students from the experimental group achieved significantly higher quantity and quality of knowledge in all three cognitive domains than the students from the control group. It can be concluded that educational software has a positive impact on improving students’ achievement in biology teaching.Key words: achievement; genetics; teaching efficiency; traditional teaching.---SažetakU radu se prikazuje komparativna analiza učinkovitosti upotrebe edukativnog računalnog programa i tradicionalnih nastavnih metoda u nastavi biologije u srednjoj školi. Stratificirani slučajni uzorak sastojao se od 173 učenika 12. razreda srednje škole u Zrenjaninu u Srbiji, a koji su bili nasumično svrstani u kontrolnu i eksperimentalnu skupinu. Učenici u eksperimentalnoj skupini učili su nastavne sadržaje biologije („Mehanizmi nasljeđivanja“) uz pomoć edukativnog računalnog programa, a učenici u kontrolnoj skupini učili su iste sadržaje primjenom tradicionalnih nastavnih metoda. Istraživanje je provedeno s pomoću istraživačkog dizajna s predtestom i posttestom u ekvivalentnim skupinama. Svi instrumenti (predtest, posttest i retest) sadržavali su pitanja iz tri različite kognitivne domene: znanja, razumijevanja i razmišljanja. Analiza rezultata posttesta i retesta pokazala je da su učenici iz eksperimentalne skupine postigli znatno veću kvalitetu i kvantitetu znanja u sve tri kognitivne domene nego što je to bio slučaj kod učenika iz kontrolne skupine. Može se zaključiti da edukativni računalni programi imaju pozitivan učinak na poboljšanje učeničkih postignuća u nastavi biologije.Ključne riječi: postignuće; genetika; učinkovitost poučavanja; tradicionalna nastava.

The Efficiency of Interactive Computer-Assisted Biology Teaching in Grammar Schools/Učinkovitost interaktivne nastave Biologije uz pomoć računala u gimnazijama

“…Also, other authors confirmed that the application of computers and various multimedia materials such as computer presentations, entertainment, educational software and e-textbooks in the classroom contributes to increased efficiency compared to traditional teaching in subjects such as Nature and society (Cvjetićanin, Pećanac, Sakač, & Djurendić-Brenesel, 2013) and biology (Cheng, Cheng, & Chen, 2012;Nwafor & Charity, 2013;Rotbain et al, 2008;Odadžić et al, 2017;Singh, 2010;Yusuf, & Afolabi, 2010;Županec et al, 2013).…”

“…They enable a new organization of the teaching process, which is appropriate to individual abilities and interests of students. Numerous studies have shown that the application of computers in teaching most of the subjects increases its effectiveness: in teaching geography (Ivkov-Džigurski, Ivanović, & Pešić, 2009), mathematics (Laketa, Drakulić, Đurović, & Likić, 2013), foreign languages (Mirzayantz Đukić, 2011) and biology (Odadžić, Miljanović, Mandić, Pribićević, & Županec, 2017). According to Danilović, computers have stimulated the development of the teaching process in the fields of simulation of learning circumstances, automation of the sources and means of providing feedback, assistance in the preparation and evaluation of teaching materials, integration of the teaching media (film, video clips, TV and text) both in the group and individual teaching (Danilović, 2010).…”

“…Among the latest educational tools that have been increasingly used in the process of acquiring knowledge and skills in developing countries is the educational software. For the purpose of its design, teams of experts in various fields are engaged, and software application in teaching has a major impact on increasing students' motivation, since it awakens their interest and incites them to use all their skills and background knowledge in order to acquire new teaching content (Aleksić, Đokić, & Vujičić, 2010;Odadžić et al, 2017). A complete form of educational software is an electronic textbook (e-book), which is based on multimedia and interactivity.…”

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Innovative Learning Approaches in Teaching Biology to Secondary School Students: A Comparative Study of Traditional and Interactive Pedagogical Methods

“…Future Direction: Promote inclusive teaching practices, provide professional development on diversity and inclusion, and advocate for resources to support diverse learners (Odadžić et al 2017).…”