| dc.description.abstract | The objective of this study was to demonstrate whether
or not learning by discovery would motivate Kenyan student
nurses to learn more on their own than learning by lecture
method, and also whether or not the group that learnt by
discovery would recall more and transfer more effectively
than tile group that learnt by lecture method.
The subjects were 130 first year students who were divided
into two groups. The material to be learnt was the principle
of ecological balance and how it works in two different situations.
Except for the method of presentation of the principle,
everything else, includin6 pretest questions and post learning
evaluation, was equated for the two groups.
The learning phase included 3 formal learning sessions
spread over 2 weeks followed by a retention phase during which
evaluation of retention and transfer was done 3 days, 3 weeks
and 6weeks after the last formal learning session.
The recall and transfer results showed that 3 days
after the last learning session there was no significant
difference between the two groups) but 3weeks and 6weeks
after the last learning session there was a significant
difference between the two groups in favour of greater recall -,
and transfer for the discovery group. A separate measure of
levels of motivation revealed generally high motivation for
the discovery group.
These findings are consistent with previous findings
and imply that the discovery method could be employed to
improve classroom instructions in Kenyan nursing schools.
The results also open the way for further studies of long
term effects of each method of instruction and whether
these effects are generalisable to the clinical setting. | |
