30B-4 |
Food science education taught through multimedia methods and rate of retention: A study of learning styles of secondary grade level (9-12) agricultural students |
D. V. JEFFRIES1, R. J. Bushway, and A. A. Bushway. (1) Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Maine, 5736 Holmes Hall, Orono, ME 04469 High school teachers as well as college professors across the nation are frustrated with the students they see in their classrooms today. Not always aware of all the differences in learning styles, they see today’s students as not prepared, or not as smart or motivated as previous generations of students. The way today’s students view knowledge and derive meaning may be vastly different from those of their instructors. The way a student learns may affect the rate in which they retain information. Food Science taught using visuals may help students to learn more about Food Science, and to retain new information. The objectives of this study were to determine the learning styles of students in rural, agricultural high schools in North Carolina and Maine as a means of developing multimedia modules that may help students learn new information. Also, to determine if there is an interest, in students and teachers, in Food Science, and to determine if students can retain this information for a period of three months. The study took place in six rural high schools in North Carolina and Maine. A test on learning styles was given to the students. Based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) this multiple choice test consisted of forty-four questions. Scores obtained from the MBTI indicates a person’s preference within eight dimensions of learning styles. These learning styles are categorized as active, reflective, sensing, intuitive, visual, verbal, sequential, and global. Most students were found to be active, sensing, visual, and sequential learners. By determining learning styles of students we can significantly reduce the number of students that do not thrive under the conventional teaching methods of today, and then focus on how to change the teaching styles to cater to the students’ needs.
Session 30B, Education
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