ERIC Number: EJ764414
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Mar
Pages: 12
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0950-0693
EISSN: N/A
A Study on the Factors Affecting Biological Concept Learning of Junior High School Students
Wang, Min-Nan Maynard; Wu, Kun-Chang; Huang, Tai-Chu Iris
International Journal of Science Education, v29 n4 p453-464 Mar 2007
The purpose of this study is to investigate how factors such as personal traits and school locations influence junior high school students' conceptual learning of biology. The study was carried out island-wide with the whole area divided into 10 districts, from which 4,537 students were selected using stratified random sampling. A questionnaire on biological concepts was used to gather the data, which then were statistically analysed using one-way analysis of variance and a t-test. It was found that junior high school students in urban areas had clearer and better biological concepts than those of students in eastern Taiwan and other distant districts. Students in the ninth grade performed better than those in the eighth grade. No significant difference was observed in terms of gender. Besides, students who had more positive biology self-efficacy, who watched science-oriented television programmes, and who had stronger motivation and more positive attitudes towards biology learning all scored higher for their biological concepts. On the basis of the findings of the study, the authors make several suggestions for improving biology education. (Contains 7 tables.)
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Junior High School Students, Grade 8, Grade 9, Urban Areas, Statistical Analysis, Self Efficacy, Biology, Scientific Concepts, Personality Traits, Student Characteristics, Science Education, Questionnaires, School Location, Gender Differences, Television Viewing, Student Motivation, Student Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Taiwan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A