Guided discovery and expository: a study of the relative effectiveness of the two approaches in the teaching of number patterns, measurement and symmetry in standard five

Abstract

The idea of Learning by Discovery or Discovery method of teaching is largely attributed to the work of Piaget and his associates on how children learn. The proponents of this method claim that when a child learns by discovery he understands what he learns and so is better able to remember and transfer; he learns a strategy for discovering new principles; and he develops an interest in what he learns (Kersh 1965) These claims were disputed by the critics on the grounds that there is little research evidence in support of the claims; both expository and guided discovery are effective provided the learning task is related in a non-arbitrary and substantive fashion to the learner's existing cognitive structure (Ausubel 1964). After a review of research studies on Learning by Discovery, Gagne' and Brown (1961) concluded "Provided the concepts are learned it should not matter which method is used; the results should be the same" The present study aimed at examining the relative effectiveness of Guided discovery and Expository approaches as me~ured by achievement on overall posttest, overall retention test and on each of the cognitive levels - knowledge, computation, comprehension, and Application... The sample consisted of five mixed primary schools with double streams in standard five drawn randomly from mixed primary schools in Maseno Division of Kisumu District. Each treatment was randomly assigned to a class in each school. One regular teacher taught the two classes.