How Does A Student’s
Schedule Affect Their
Learning?
Chapter 5 Discussion
Dean Papadakis
SED 697
Overview of the Study
How students learn, is based on many
factors. I have focused my research on
one of these factors, which is,
How does the amount of time a student is
in class, and the frequency of coming to
class, affect their LEARNING?
Overview of the Study
Specifically

I have focused my attention on what STUDENTS
think about the affect their schedule has on their
learning, and

What do test scores reveal about the difference in
performance between students in a traditional
schedule vs. students in a block schedule?
The Results of My Study Were Obtained
From the Following Four Sources of
Data
Essay Responses
Survey
Questions
Interview
Test Scores
Summary of Findings

A majority of students who met for physics every day for 50
minutes, preferred this schedule.

For those students who were in a block schedule, that met
every other day for 100 minutes, an EQUAL number preferred
this schedule to the traditional schedule.

A majority of the traditional students, believed they had
enough time in their class to understand concepts. The result
was the SAME for the block students.

Students in both groups, believe that having class for 100
minutes in a block schedule, is too much time and it makes it
easier to “tune out” and not pay attention.
Summary of Findings, Continued

Both groups of students feel that it is easier to forget material,
when meeting every other day.

However, students in the traditional schedule often feel rushed,
and that more time would be helpful, when it comes to
lectures, tests, and laboratory experiments.

Most of them agree that daily interaction with the teacher,
helps them to remember concepts more easily and increases
the rapport between them and the teacher.

For 2 tests out of 8 tests given, traditional students performed
better than the block students. For 5 tests out of the 8 tests,
block students performed better.
Conclusions

Though block students outperformed traditional students on
tests most of the time (63% of the time), the difference was on
average, only 3 percentage points higher.

The results of my findings tell me that MOST students are able
to adapt to their environment (or type of schedule), and will
learn in either type of schedule.

However, students differ among themselves in the ways that
they learn best. Just as there are kinesthetic learners vs.
Auditory learners, some students can focus for longer periods
of time and wish to engage more deeply in a topic for a longer
period of time.

Other students simply cannot focus for an extended time and
therefore do better in a shorter period.
Conclusions, Continued

The problem is that many students are very active in athletics
after school and for those who would do better in a traditional
class, cannot be in one, due to sports. Even if they are not in
athletics, they rarely get to choose what type of schedule they
learn best in and there is only one traditional class offered each
day.

The implications of these findings are that firstly, teachers who
teach a traditional, academic class, need to become AWARE of
the types of students they have. Maybe this can be done
through a student questionnaire at the beginning of the year.

Secondly, if students could be given more involvement in their
scheduling, then, a BETTER MATCHING could take place for
appropriately placing students in the best environment.
Recommendations


Based on my findings, what may improve the
learning in my classroom, in the future, will be to
give my students a questionnaire, regarding the type
of learner my students are, and which type of
schedule they would prefer. Though I may not be
able to change their schedule, I might be able to
modify my teaching style to be more in line with their
needs.
This questionnaire could be shared with other
teachers at my school and with administrators.
Limitations of the Study

One limitation of this study was that the sample size
of 30 students was somewhat small. A larger sample
size would provide more reliable information.

Another limitation was that the opinion of students in
the traditional class, may have been influenced by the
class being at the end of the day, when students are
tired and anxious to go home.

If a traditional 50 minute class were in the middle of
the day, its value could be better evaluated.
Limitations of the Study, Continued

Another limitation was that the sample of block
students came from two different times of the day,
whereas the traditional sample group was only at the
end of the day.

The other limitation was that the two groups studied
were science students (physics). This group has
opportunities for class activities and experiments that
can help with engaging students.

Further study of other groups of students, who are not
science students, would be interesting and provide
information about which type of schedule is best for a
student’s learning.