Independent-Study Methods and the Gifted Biology Student

HE ideal setting for learning is one in which the teacher and student work together to help the latter discover the knowledge being transmitted. However, as the educational process became more formalized, interaction between pupil and teacher became minimized to the extent that students typically have no choice (or voice) in selecting the content to be studied, devising techniques for mastering it, or evaluating their progress. The unfortunate consequences of such a one-sided involvement in the teaching-learning-process have been acknowledged by such astute observers of human behavior as Bruner (1966), Rogers (1961), and Shulman (1968). One critical objective of education, which is not met by such an approach, is that of developing self-reliant adults who can think and work independently. It seems almost too obvious to say that if such an end is to be served, students need to be given a greater opportunity to plan, execute, and evaluate their curriculum and its objectives-even if this means rejecting some aspects of the traditional approach to classroom teaching. One alternative, which has experienced some publicity and success, is the independent-study approach. Various experimenters have implemented different plans at different levels and have reported the results (O'Toole, 1968; Rainey, 1965; Glass and Yager, 1970). Most of these plans share the provision that the student be allowed to select a subject for investigation within the specified field of study, develop his own procedures, pursue his investigation independently, and participate in the evaluation of his work. These approaches differ from other innovations, such as programmed instruction, audiotutorial instruction, and progression at an individual rate, in that the focus is on the student actively engaged in a scientific investigation. From the student's perspective, it is accidental that the role of the teacher has shifted from that of instructor to that of resource person. The student is only aware that he must select, direct, and pace his activities and has thus become the central figure in the learning process. As the student's investigation proceeds, a great deal of interest usually is shown by other students and the teacher. Thus, the investigator learns to feel the personal worth of his own ideas: motivation becomes intrinsic. Desirable as all this might be, there are some disadvantages in this approach (Romey, 1970). The greatest of these is that in pursuing a narrower spectrum of content during an investigation, the student may be forced to sacrifice a breadth of knowledge in the discipline, as rneasured by standardized achievement tests. The present study was devised to assess the relative effectiveness (in terms of academic gain) of the independent-study method of instructing talented biology students, as compared with the more traditional teacher-directed method. A third method was included, in an attempt to combine the interest level of independent inAuthors' addresses: John B. Simmons-Washington Community High School, Washington, Ill. 61571. William J. Davis-Elkhart Public Schools, Elkhart, Ill. 62634. Gary C. Ramseyer and James J. Johnson-Psychology Dept., Illinois State University, Normal, Ill. 61761.