| The purpose of this intervention was to explore how Structured Classification Activities affected students' ability to answer higher-level compare-and-contrast questions. Expectations were for students to become self-regulated learners that better understand how to effectively evaluate a problem, critically analyze the information, and answer questions at progressively higher cognitive levels. This study took place in a high school serving both rural and metropolitan communities, comparing students from two 9th grade Agriculture Earth Science classes. One class (n = 25) experienced a Structured Classification Activities intervention for responding to compare-and-contrast science questions; the other class (n = 21) served as the comparison. Over the course of 13 instructional days, students responded to compare-and-contrast questions through Structured Classification Activities, which included metacognitive coaching by means of the instructor and peers. While expectations for attitudinal changes or unit comprehension were not satisfied, students' Compare and Contrast Comprehension, and Organization, Structure, and Transition scores improved. Higher-level cognitive questions may still be difficult for this age level of students, or skills may need to be developed over time. |
