EFFECTIVENESS OF BRAIN-BASED LEARNING METHOD AND CONVENTIONAL METHOD IN THE TEACHING OF MATHEMATICS AT SECONDARY LEVEL IN PAKISTAN: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Abstract

Teachers have been teaching students through conventional teaching method since past many years. Everyone acknowledges that the conceptual understanding of the content is not possible under a threatening classroom environment wherein rote-learning is a common practice. The present day learner is a member of social media age which promotes availing the latest information and discarding the orthodox ideas. This study compares effectiveness of the conventional teaching method i.e. the lecture method with an innovative teaching method known as brain based learning (BBL) teaching method to teach Mathematics at secondary level. All the 9th class students studying the subject of Mathematics at secondary level in Pakistan were the population of the study. Two secondary schools were selected through purposive sampling for smooth conduct of the experiments of the study at rural and urban areas. The independent variable of teaching methodology was manipulated into BBL and conventional teaching methods for the experimental and control groups respectively. An overall sample of 120 students was taken from both of the selected schools. Sixty students each of 9th class were selected independently from each of the two selected schools through the normal distribution of their 8th class annual examination scores. These 60 students were divided equally into experimental and control groups through simple random sampling. Thereafter, 60 students each of experimental and control groups were further categorized equally as high achievers, average achievers and low achievers through systematic random sampling. A 2×3 factorial design was followed to conduct the study because the study contained two factors, namely teaching methodology and academic achievement. Three chapters of 9th class mathematics textbook, containing 15 subtopics altogether, were selected to teach the selected students. The researcher developed 38 lesson plans each in light of the principles of BBL teaching method as well as conventional teaching method to teach the students of experimental and control groups respectively. A standardized 16- item academic achievement test, based on five innate faculties of human brain was administered to each group as pre-test as well as post-test. The difference between post- test and pre-test scores of each selected student was taken as academic achievement of the concerning student. The results of the study proved effectiveness of BBL teaching method as compared to the conventional teaching method for the students of the rural school (F (1, 28) = 146.46, p < .005) as well as for the students of urban school (F (1, 28) = 78.73, p < .005). It was observed that BBL teaching method was more effective than conventional teaching method for high achievers (t (18) = 7.877, p < .005) of the rural school. The same effectiveness of BBL teaching method was noted for the average achievers (t (18) = 5.399, p < .005) as well as for the low achievers (t (18) = 8.918, p < .005) studying in secondary school at the rural area. For urban school students, BBL teaching method, too, remained more effective than conventional teaching method for the high achievers (t (18) = 3.485, p = .003), for the average achievers (t (18) = 6.913, p < .005) and for the low achievers (t (18) = 4.373, p < .005). It is, therefore, concluded that BBL teaching method is significantly more effective than conventional teaching method to teach mathematics at secondary level. The performance of the students can be enhanced if a teacher manages to activate the innate faculties of human brain of the learners in accordance with its natural physiology.