خالد محمود راشد الزيود

This study aimed to explore the effect of teaching using both the conceptual maps and inductive methods on the achievement of the ten graders in English.

Statistical analysis results showed that there are no significant statistical differences between the students score means on the achievement examination for those who studied using the conceptual maps method and those who studied using the inductive method.

This may be ascribed to the effectiveness of both methods in teaching due to the high arithmetic means of the students’ scores in this examination over their arithmetic means on the school exams during the first three months. The study method using the conceptual maps included a content organization that helped making the meanings and relationships among the concepts clearer. This facilitated the students understanding and correlate the new knowledge with what is already existing with the students. It also provided a new direction to link the concepts together in a hierarchical sequence that make good sense to the students. Also, when the student prepares the conceptual maps, he will become more capable to identify and define the gaps within his cognitive structure. This, in turn, will lead to increase his understanding and perception of the concepts, which will also lead to an improvement in his academic achievement. This result is quite consistent with the results of other former studies, which had shown a positive impact of the conceptual maps in achievement.

Teaching through induction encouraged students to produce many examples, so that they could conclude the rule or the law by themselves. At first, the student brings the example in his mind, then he begins analyzing to approach the rule by himself. This by turn will lead to link every example with a rule or law. That is the inductive method leads to increase student’s understanding of the law, and writing examples through analysis, then generalizing. This is quite in consistence with the results of the study conducted by Khaswaneh (1987) and Abu Housh (1986), which both concluded into that there is a positive effect to the inductive method on students’ achievement.

The study indicated that there are significant differences between the two groups attributed to the achievement levels (high, medium, low) with the ten graders in favor of the inductive method group. Possibly, this result was due to the interactions of the students of different achievement levels with the inductive method, because it allowed them express what was going in their minds of questions and ideas during the class period. This in turn, produced activity and effectiveness, as well as ability to present something. It could also be attributed to the seriousness and interest of the inductive method group students during the learning and teaching process. (the researcher, as far his knowledge goes, did not find any study dealt in the inductive method, concept maps or achievement levels).

The study also showed that there are no significant differences that could be attributed to the interaction between this method and the achievement level on influencing achievement in English.