Variable Structure in Student-Centered Learning Environments

• In Event: Teacher Research Group: A Third Space for Constructing a Counternarrative and Encouraging Teacher Action

Abstract

In Pennsylvania, tenth grade biology is the only high school science subject with a designated standardized test. Without the pressure of standardized testing, other science curricula can be modified and rearranged for the benefit of students. With this in mind, I elected to develop an inquiry-based research project around some of my environmental science courses. The research question that I sought to understand was: How much teacher-implemented structure was necessary to achieve the most success in a student-centered learning environment? Two sections of an environmental science class, one honors and one non-honors, provided the perfect comparison group for this inquiry cycle. I also had the benefit of having each of the students in class for at least one semester prior to the start of the inquiry cycle. Three stages of inquiry occurred concurrently with three separate academic units: the first involved a very low amount of teacher implemented structure, the second involved a much higher amount of teacher implemented structure, and the third involved differing amounts of teacher implemented structure depending on which section the students were in. Assessment of success included completion of project requirements, teacher evaluation, and student surveys. The final conclusion was that students initially felt more comfortable in highly structured environments with little individual choice versus the less structured environment with more individual choice. However, greater long-term measures of academic success were observed in the less structured environments that were self-directed and tailored to meet students’ individual learning needs. This cycle of inquiry suggests practical recommendations for teacher best practices in non-testing environments.

Indi Ekanayake is a 2013 Master of Science in Education graduate of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. He will enter his third year of teaching at Sankofa in fall 2013.

Author

• Indi Ekanayake