The Effectiveness of an Educational-Learning Program Based on the Theory of Situational Learning in the Achievement of Environmental Education among Students in Colleges of Education

Abstract

The current research aims to:

1- Building an educational-learning program in the subject of environmental education based on the theory of situational learning for students in colleges of education.

2- Detecting the effectiveness of the educational-learning program in achieving the environmental education subject among first-stage students, College of Education for Human Sciences - Wasit University.

Out of the following goal emerged the following:

There are no statistically significant differences at the level of (0.05) between the average scores of the experimental group that studied the environmental education subject according to the educational-learning program and the average scores of the control group that studied the same subject according to the prescribed vocabulary (Deans’ Committee) using the usual method in the test of Post-achievement.

To achieve the research goal

The researcher used an experimental design with partial control (designing the experimental and control groups with a pre-test “for the purposes of equivalence” and a post-test), which controls each other. The number of the research sample was (60) male and female students from the College of Education, University of Wasit - Department of Educational and Psychological Sciences. The researcher chose the research sample in a purposive manner, as the number of students in the experimental group reached (30) male and female students, who studied the educational material according to the existing educational program according to the theory of situational learning. The number of students in the control group was (30) male and female students, who studied the educational material according to the usual method. The researcher conducted equality in the following variables (chronological age calculated in months, gender, intelligence, general average).

For the purpose of achieving the research objective and testing its hypothesis, the researcher prepared an educational and learning program based on the theory of situational learning, which included educational objectives, various teaching strategies, accompanying activities, educational means, and multiple evaluation methods. To reach the results of the current research, the researcher prepared the research tool, which was the achievement test, which consists of (40) items, including (30) four-alternative multiple-choice items, and (10) essay-type, fixed-answer items, and it was presented to the experts and specialized arbitrators. .

  The researcher studied the two research groups himself, in order to avoid making mistakes or differences in the professor’s abilities. Before starting the experiment, both groups were rewarded. The researcher adopted two approaches, represented by the descriptive approach, to build the educational-learning program for teaching the environmental education subject according to the sectoral vocabulary determined by the deans’ committee. The second is the experimental approach to determine the effectiveness of the educational-learning program in achieving environmental education among the students of the research sample.

In light of the research results, the researcher reached a number of conclusions, recommendations and suggestions. 

First - The educational program based on the theory of situational learning has proven effective in increasing the achievement of first-year students in the Department of Educational and Psychological Sciences at the College of Education for the Humanities at the University of Wasit in the subject of environmental education.

Secondly - The researcher concluded, through his observations, that the effectiveness of the educational program was not limited to increasing students’ achievement, but also contributed to enhancing other aspects of knowledge.

In light of the research results, the researcher recommended a set of recommendations, including:

First - Adopting the existing educational program based on the theory of situational learning in teaching environmental education for the first stage in colleges of education due to its effectiveness and ability to raise the level of academic achievement among students.

Second: Benefiting from educational programs and using them to cover other educational courses.

As an extension and completion of the research, the researcher proposed conducting a number of studies, including:

First - Conduct a study similar to this study for other subjects such as social psychology or educational psychology.

Second - Conduct a comparative study between the educational program based on situational learning theory and educational programs based on other theories to identify the best educational programs in teaching environmental education.