03/28/2022
By Lizzie Casanave

The School of Education invites you to attend an Ed.D. Dissertation Defense (STEM Option) by Anna Croce on “Effects of Using Content Acquisition Videos on the Learning Performance and Science Attitudes of Ninth Grade Students with Learning Difficulties in an Integrated Geoscience Course.”

Date: April 11, 2022
Time: noon
Location: This will be a virtual dissertation defense via Zoom. Those interested in attending should contact Iman_Chahine@uml.edu to request access to the Zoom link.

Dissertation Chair: Iman Chahine Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Dissertation Committee:

  • Katherine Miller, Ph.D., Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Robai Werunga, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Abstract:
Ninth-grade students with learning difficulties typically underperform those without learning difficulties, particularly in an integrated geoscience course. Despite the growing demand for STEM careers, science remains challenging to understand and inaccessible to many, especially those with learning difficulties (Vavougios et al., 2016). Addressing vocabulary comprehension is a vital step to decreasing the performance gap between students with and without learning difficulties in science due to the tendency of students with learning difficulties to lack vocabulary comprehension strategies that preclude more academic success in science. This study explored the effects of using teacher-designed Content Acquisition Videos (CAV) in a flipped classroom format on students' learning performance and science attitudes with learning difficulties. The study employed a quasi-experimental exploratory case study design with qualitative and quantitative techniques, and data were triangulated using multiple sources, including pre-and post-performance assessments, pre-and post-surveys, and semi-structured interviews. This study indicated that CAV had a positive effect on the academic performance and science attitudes of those with academic accommodations more than those with low grades. The success of the Content Acquisition Videos was attributed to the multisensory mechanisms of the videos employed, the repetitive nature of the videos, and how it allowed students to reduce their cognitive load in class. It is recommended that future studies would involve extended uses of the videos, a larger sample size, and switching which students belonged to the comparison and study groups.