Defense Date

3-29-2004

Graduation Date

Spring 2004

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

EdD

Department

Instructional Leadership Excellence (ILEAD)

School

School of Education

Committee Chair

William P. Barone

Committee Member

Dale W. Maeder

Committee Member

Linda C. Wojnar

Committee Member

Ruth G. Biro

Keywords

academic achivement, adult learners, Generative Learning Model, higher order thinking, online learning, vignettes

Abstract

This case study investigated the use of vignettes as a teaching strategy and learning activity of the Generative Learning Model in a hybrid online course. The Generative Learning Model, which consists of five main components: attention, motivation, knowledge, generation, and metacognition (Wittrock, 2000) was incorporated when requiring students to answer teacher-generated vignettes and to generate their own vignettes. As a result of using vignettes within the Generative Learning Model in a hybrid online course, three outcomes were anticipated: 1) enhancement of academic achievement, 2) higher order thinking, and 3) preference of the use of vignettes as compared to other teaching strategies and learning activities.

This study considered data from student work and a questionnaire collected from the Instructional Techniques Course, GITED 631, taught in the Graduate School of Education at Duquesne University in the fall of 2003. Eight participants responded to teacher-generated vignettes, created diagrams and rubrics, created their own vignettes, and recorded their thoughts concerning vignettes in reflective learning logs. These participants also completed a questionnaire that addressed the use of vignettes as a teaching strategy and learning activity. This questionnaire included a Likert-scale for rating the strategies and activities as experience in the course, a ranking section for how participants would like to learning course material (learning activities) in other courses, and a ranking section for how participants would like to teach their own courses (teaching strategies).

This research indicates that the use of teacher-generated vignettes can increase academic achievement, and that learner-generated vignettes can help students achieve higher order thinking. Within this population this study showed three significant results. First, within the Instructional Techniques course, participants preferred the use of teacher-generated vignettes to any other teaching strategy or learning activity used. Second, teacher-generated vignettes were preferred as a learning activity over all other learning activities when learning other types of course material; student generated vignettes were preferred as a learning activity when compared to lectures, student demonstrations, projects, online slide presentations, online discussions, and diagrams. Third, when considering preferences in teaching strategies, teacher-generated vignettes were ranked second to teacher demonstrations; learner-generated vignettes ranked above online presentations, online discussions, reflective learning logs, and lectures.

Format

PDF

Language

English

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