Abstract
This experiment investigated two possible sequences in which biochemical theory and the clinical applications of such theory can be presented to pre-clinical medical students. The dependent variables were the students' cognitive preferences and their ability to recall the contents of the instruction. Seventy-two students were randomly allocated to either a Theory-to-application or an Application-to-theory condition. The results indicated that the Application-to-theory sequence of instruction produced a significantly greater preference for being taught the specific facts of pre-clinical medical science, as opposed to being taught about the clinical applications. However, this was achieved at the expense of a significantly reduced ability to actually recall the theory which was taught.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Atwood, R. K. (1967). “CHEM study achievement among groups classified by cognitive preference scores,” Journal of Research in Science Teaching 5: 154–159.
Blecher, S. R. (1978). “Anatomy: The patient's or the book's?” Higher Education 7: 71–82.
Brown, S. A. (1975). “Cognitive preferences in science: Their nature and analysis,” Studies in Science Education 2: 43–65.
Coddington, A. (1972). Teaching economics. Universities Quarterly 26(4): 467–470.
Dakshinamurti, K. (1981). “Syllabi construction, curriculum content and relevance in medical education,” in C. F. A. Bryce (Ed.), Biochemical Education. London: Croom Helm.
Feltovich, P. J. (1981). Knowledge Based Components of Expertise in Medical Diagnosis. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Learning Research and Development Center, Technical Report No. PDS-2, September.
Heath, R. W. (1964). “Curriculum, cognition and educational measurement,” Educational and Psychological Measurement XXIV: 239–253.
Heimer, R. T. (1969). “Conditions of learning in mathematics: Sequence theory development,” Review of Educational Research 39: 493–508.
Hermann, G. (1969). “Learning by discovery: A critical review of studies,” Journal of Experimental Education 38: 58–72.
Johnson, P. E., Duran, A. S., Hassebrock, F., Moller, J., Prietula, M., Feltovich, P. J., and Swanson, D. B. (1981). “Expertise and error in diagnostic reasoning,” Cognitive Science 5: 235–283.
Kersh, B. Y. (1958). “The adequacy of ‘meaning’ as an explanation for the superiority of learning by independent discovery,” Journal of Educational Psychology 49: 282–292.
Kersh, B. Y. (1962). “The motivating effect of learning by guided discovery,” Journal of Educational Psychology 53: 65–71.
Krathwohl, D. R., Bloom, B. S., and Masia, B. B. (1964). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Handbook II: Affective Domain. London: Longman Group.
McDade, C. E. (1978). “Subsumption versus educational set: Implications for sequencing of instructional materials,” Journal of Educational Psychology 70: 137–141.
Mackay, L. D. (1972). “Changes in cognitive preferences during two years of physics study in Victoria schools,” Australian Science Teachers Journal 18: 63–66.
Mayer, R. E. (1977). “The sequencing of instruction and the concept of assimilation-to-schema,” Instructional Science 6: 369–388.
Montgomery, R. (1981). “A case-oriented approach: Design, implementation and results,” in C. F. A. Bryce (Ed.), Biochemical Education. London: Croom Helm.
Richardson, I. M. (1983). “Consumer views on the medical curriculum: A retrospective study,” Medical Education 17: 8–10.
Robbins, L., Robbins, E. S., Katz, S. E., Geliebter, B., and Stern, M. (1983). “Achievement motivation in medical students,” Journal of Medical Education 58: 850–858.
Rubinstein, D. (1972). “Stimulation of positive attitudes on biochemistry by incorporation of clinical presentations,” Journal of Medical Education 47: 198–202.
Saffran, M. (1971). “‘Relevance’ in the medical biochemistry course,” Journal of Medical Education 46: 1080–1086.
Schmidt, H. G. (1983). “Problem-based learning: Rationale and description,” Medical Education 17: 11–16.
Sorlie, W. E., Anderson, J. D., Gamble, T. E., and Bloomfield, D. K. (1973). “A one-year program in basic medical sciences,” Journal of Medical Education 48: 371–373.
Tamir, P. (1981). “Validation of cognitive preferences,” British Educational Research Journal 7: 37–49.
Tamir, P. and Kempa, R. F. (1977). “College students' cognitive preferences in science,” Journal of Educational Research 70: 210–218.
Van den Berg, E., Lunetta, V. N., and Tamir, P. (1978). “Cognitive preference: A validation study,” Studies in Educational Evaluation 4: 107–120.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Boreham, N.C., Ellis, M.R. & Morgan, C.H. The effect of sequence of instruction on students' cognitive preferences and recall in the context of a problem-oriented method of teaching. Instr Sci 13, 329–345 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00117575
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00117575