The purpose of the study was to describe teacher time spent using various teaching techniques and student cognitive retention of content during a secondary animal science unit of instruction. This observational case study was descriptive in nature.
One high school teacher was video-taped while teaching an Agricultural Science I class of 12 freshman students. The teacher taught 18 one-hour lessons that compiled an animal science unit of instruction. Eight instruments were used to describe the time that the teacher spent using teaching techniques and the immediate, short-term, and long-term cognitive retention of the students.
Results of the study showed that student notebooks and information sheets were the most widely used individualized teaching techniques. Lecture and discussion were the most often used group teaching techniques. Other teaching techniques were used occasionally.
Student immediate, short-term, and long-term cognitive retention of the animal science subject matter taught during the unit of instruction was measured. Student immediate cognitive retention was measured by multiplying the score of the final unit exam taken immediately after the unit of instruction was taught by the cognitive weighted score of the final unit exam. The mean student immediate cognitive retention score was 75%.
Student short-term cognitive retention was measured by multiplying the score of the final unit exam taken 42 days after the unit of instruction was taught by the cognitive weighted score of the final unit exam. The mean student short-term cognitive retention score was 78%. The mean difference between the test taken immediately after the unit and the test taken 42 days after the unit was 3%.
Student long-term cognitive retention was measured by multiplying the score of the final unit exam taken 182 days after the unit of instruction was taught by the cognitive weighted score of the final unit exam. The mean student long-term cognitive retention score was 74%. The mean difference between the test taken 42 days after the unit and the test taken 182 days after the unit was -4%. The mean difference between the test taken immediately after the unit and the test taken 182 days after the unit was -0.8%.