2007 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
The role of cramming for examinations and its impact on the use of learning strategies
| Project/Area Number |
18530501
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Educational psychology
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| Research Institution | Miyagi University of Education |
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Principal Investigator |
TAIRA Makio Miyagi University of Education, Miyagi University of Education, Department of Education, associate professor (50312690)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2006 – 2007
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| Keywords | decline of academic performance / learning strategies / High-Stakes testing / purpose of learning |
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| Research Abstract |
This research examines the process of decline of mathematical abilities of university students. The target contents knowledge are permutation, trigonometry, and vector. The authors controlled two factors: curricula (related to nationalities) and majors (arts or science). The target variables are (1) mathematical abilities in high-school days, (2) current math abilities (declining rates), (3) effort rates in high-school days, and (4) understanding of learning purpose of each content domain in high-school days. Increase/decrease of learned knowledge is, of course, depended on curriculum of each student's major, but also affected by how they had learned during high-school days. For example, all science major Singaporean university students have to take the Further Maths and it contains basic Mechanics so that it is clear for them to learn trigonometry and vector in high-school days. Without basic understanding of trigonometry and vector, they cannot learn the Mechanics. Therefore, they have to learn trigonometry and vector by using higher-order learning strategies. Contrary to the science major Singaporean students, the Mechanics are not required content for the Japanese science major students. This difference affected the current performance of each content domain and, moreover, the Japanese students had shown paradoxical pattern of negative correlation between effort rates in high-school days and current math abilities, i.e. the more they learned in high-school days, the more they forget.
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