The influence of teaching methods sequence on students\u27 knowledge of plant propagation and dispersal

Vsebine botanike so v splosno-izobrazevalnih programih vkljucene predvsem pri predmetu biologija, a v primerjavi z vsebinami o zivalih predstavljajo za ucence manj zanimivo tematiko, kar se kaze tudi v pomanjkanju interesa za ucenje in pomanjkljivem znanju. Prakticno delo ima pri poucevanju naravoslovnih vsebin pomembno mesto. Prakticno delo lahko ucitelji vkljucijo v pouk kot osnovno metodo za pridobivanje znanja ali kot primer ponazoritve teoreticne obravnave. Podatkov o tem, kateri od dveh pristopov je bolj ucinkovit, nismo nasli. Zato smo v nasi raziskavi primerjali, kako omenjena pristopa vplivata na znanje dijakov o razmnozevanju in razsirjanju rastlin in kaksna so njihova stalisca do rastlin. Oblikovali smo anketni vprasalnik, ki je vkljuceval tudi preizkus znanja. V raziskavo smo vkljucili dijake drugih letnikov splosne gimnazije v Ljubljani, ki so anketni vprasalnik izpolnili dvakrat. Najprej je izpolnjevanje potekalo pred poukom, nato pa so enak vprasalnik izpolnili se en teden po obravnavi snovi. Izpolnjevanje je bilo anonimno, nas vzorec je zajemal 114 dijakov, ki so sestavljali dve skupini, ki sta se razlikovali v zaporedju uporabe ucnih metod. Pri obeh skupinah je pouk potekal v sklopu blok ure. V prvi skupini je najprej potekala frontalna razlaga, ki ji je sledila metoda prakticnega dela v obliki samostojne vaje po vnaprej napisanih navodilih. V drugi skupini je bilo zaporedje pouka ravno obratno, samostojnemu delu je sledila frontalna razlaga snovi. Po statisticni obdelavi podatkov se po pouku niso pojavile bistvene razlike v znanju dijakov glede na zaporedje uporabe ucnih metod. Po pouku so dijaki izkazali vec znanja kot pred poukom. Nekoliko boljsi rezultat so dosegli dijaki prve skupine, a so te razlike majhne. Ugotovili smo, da dijaki ne razlikujejo med pojmoma razmnozevanje in razsirjanje rastlin. Vecina dijakov ima tezave s prepoznavanjem zgradbe semena in njegove vloge, tega pa ne znajo povezati s spolnim razmnozevanjem. Bistvenih razlik v znanju med spoloma nismo zaznali. Vecina dijakov je po pouku razlikovala med pojmoma oprasitev in oploditev. Ceprav se dijaki zavedajo pomena rastlin v naravi in onesnazevanja okolja ter jih skrbi pretirano izsekavanje gozdov, je njihov interes za ucenje o rastlinah dokaj nizek. Pouk, kjer spoznavajo rastline, se jim zdi dolgocasen in se raje ucijo o zivalih. Menimo, da lahko njihova stalisca in znanje izboljsamo predvsem z vkljucevanjem neposredne izkusnje z rastlinami. Preko lastne izkusnje bi dijaki spoznavali vsebine o rastlinah in njihovem delovanju in hkrati razvijali pozitiven in odgovoren odnos do rastlin in do narave.Plant science or botany covers a part of the biology lessons in the educational program, but in comparison with the topic of animals it is less interesting for the students, which is reflected in a lack of interest in learning and a lack of knowledge. Practical work has an important place in teaching natural sciences. It can be included by teachers in their teaching as a basic method for acquiring knowledge or as an example of illustrating theoretical content. We did not find information on which of the two approaches is more effective when teaching about plants. Therefore, in our study, we compared how these approaches affect students\u27 knowledge of plant reproduction and propagation, and their attitudes toward plants. We designed a questionnaire that also included a knowledge test. The survey included second year students from one upper secondary school in Ljubljana who completed the survey questionnaire twice. The questionnaire was completed before and one week after instruction. Our sample consisted of 114 students, who formed two groups that differed in applied teaching methods sequence. In both groups, lessons were taught as a block lesson. In the first group, a frontal teaching was followed by a method of practical work in the form of an labwork following pre-written instructions. In the second group, the sequence of lessons was reversed. After the statistical analysis of the data, no significant differences in students\u27 knowledge emerged after the lessons regarding teaching methods sequence. After class, all students showed more knowledge than before class. The first group of students achieved slightly better results, but these differences are small. We found that students do not differentiate between the concepts of plant reproduction and propagation. Most students have difficulty recognizing the parts of a seed and its role, and they are not able to relate this to sexual reproduction. No significant gender differences were detected in students knowledge. After class, most students distinguished between pollination and fertilization. Although students were aware of the importance of plants in nature and of environmental pollution and are concerned about excessive deforestation, their interest in learning about plants was rather low. They find the lessons about plants boring and they prefer to learn about animals. We believe that their attitudes and knowledge can be improved primarily by incorporating direct experience with plants. Through direct experiences, students would learn about plants and their functioning, and at the same time they could develop positive attitudes toward plants and nature