A Study on the Factors Affecting Biological Concept Learning of Junior High School Students

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 selecte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of science education 2007-03, Vol.29 (4), p.453-464
Main Authors: Maynard Wang, Min-Nan, Wu, Kun-Chang, Iris Huang, Tai-Chu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological concept
Biology
Biology learning
Foreign Countries
Gender Differences
Grade 8
Grade 9
Junior High School Students
Motivation
Personality Traits
Questionnaires
School Location
Science Education
Scientific Concepts
Self Efficacy
Statistical Analysis
Student Attitudes
Student Characteristics
Student Motivation
Taiwan
Television Viewing
Urban Areas
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0950-0693
1464-5289
DOI:10.1080/09500690601073152