Effect of the four-step learning cycle model on students’ understanding of concepts related to simple harmonic motion

There are different types of learning cycle, that is, five, four and three phase-learning cycle. In this study, the four-phase learning cycle was used because the phases are built on students’ existing knowledge and provide opportunities that will encourage deep approaches to learning. This learning cycle (Abraham, 1997) method is a four phase inquiry approach consisting of exploration, explanation, expansion and evaluation. The key element of the learning cycle method is that laboratory activities that precede lectures. Since its inception in the 1960s, the learning cycle has been the focus of many studies conducted to determine its effectiveness (Staver and Stronger, 2002; Hanuscin & Lee, 2007) It is pertinent to say that the learning cycle has been found very effective at teaching science concepts and improving generalizable reasoning skills in students from junior to Secondary Schools and even in the Universities. More recently, learning cycle has been found to be effective helping students to acquire scientific conceptions.

While instructional approaches, developed based upon conceptual change approach, have been advocated for helping students to recognize their misconceptions and reject them in favour of a more scientific view (Lawson, Alkhoums, Benford, Falcomer, 2000). None of the previous researches has examined the effects of four-phase learning cycle on understanding of several interrelated concepts and of different aspects involved in simple harmonic motion. This study investigates the efficacy of four-phase learning cycle and lecture method of teaching SSIII students understanding of several interrelated concepts and a number of different aspects involved in SHM.