Enhancing Higher Order Thinking Skills of Low Performing Biology Students Through Combined Teaching Strategies

Abstract

This mixed-method study critically focused on using combined teaching strategies to enhance the higher-order thinking skills of a low-performing high school Biology class in a Public Secondary School in the Kasur District (Pakistan). Researchers implemented the combined strategies for multimodal learning which included a KWLH chart, minds-on hands-on activities, and multimedia integration (action) to a purposively chosen intact class of low-performing students for a quarter of a year (120 contact hours). Before the intervention, the researchers administered a 50-item pretest which included questions phrased within the higher-order cognitive domains: application, analysis, evaluation, and creation. The same test determined the students’ performance after the intervention, which led to improvements in the higher-order thinking skills of the students as evidenced by a statistically significant difference in their pre and post-test scores, classroom observations of invited experts, and student perceptions. Though the intervention is seen to have accomplished its goal i.e. the intervention enhanced the HOTs of low-performing biology students which depicted that customization of the strategies to the learners’ needs and learning styles determines the success of the action. It was recommended that for broader implications of this study, it should be conducted across grades with other science subjects like physics, chemistry, and computer sciences.