The Effect of the Learning Cycle Strategy and the Strategy of Concept Mapping on the First Secondary Students’ Achievement in Biology and their Scientific Thinking

Abstract

The study aimed at investigating the effect of the learning cycle and concept mapping strategies upon the first secondary scientific stream students’ achievement and their scientific thinking in biology compared with the traditional method of teaching. The sample of the study consisted of three sections of 120 students in Mafraq Secondary School for Boys. The students in these sections were randomly assigned to make two experimental groups and a control one. The first experiment group was taught by using the learning cycle strategy, the second via concept mapping strategy, but the control group was taught through the traditional method. The findings of the study indicated that: -There were statistically significant differences in the first secondary scientific stream students’ achievement in biology due to the teaching strategy (learning cycle, concept mapping & the conventional method). Superiority was for students taught via the learning cycle and concept mapping strategies compared with those taught through the conventional method whereas an equal effect was traced for the learning cycle and concept mapping. -There were statistically significant differences in the first secondary scientific stream students’ scientific thinking attributed to the teaching strategy. The students taught by the learning cycle were superior to those taught by the conventional way, but it was found that the learning cycle had an equal effect to concept mapping and the concept mapping had an equal effect to the conventional method.