The relationship between learning styles, modes of content presentation and visuo-semiotic reasoning in Biology

Abstract

In the 21st century, acquiring knowledge of the life sciences, particularly in the discipline of biology, requires attaining a set of visualisation skills among students. These skills include the ability to interpret, reason and understand the discipline by processing visual stimuli to comprehend spatial relationships between objects, and to visualize images. Since the start of the 4th industrial revolution, the use of visuo-semiotic models in teaching and learning have increased. The integration of visuo-semiotic models, such as images and visual presentations in textbooks and computer interfaces, have promoted more effective learning of visually and spatially complex topics in biology and molecular biology. The integration and interpretation of visuo-semiotic models is a complex process and depends on prior knowledge of the domain of biology, as well as familiarity with visualisations and complexities of the visuo-semiotic model. Consequently, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between learning styles, modes of content presentation and visuo-semiotic reasoning in biology. This will aid in understanding how both teaching and learning can be enhanced through visuo-semiotic models, in a preliminary manner. The present study adopted a quantitative, quasi-experimental research approach. A non-probability, purposive sampling method was used to select participants from a public school located in Gauteng, West of Johannesburg. Data was obtained from selfadministered questionnaires which were completed by Grade 10 biology students (n=76). The findings of this study suggests that a relationship exists between learning styles, modes of content presentation and visuo-semiotic reasoning associated with learning difficulties related to conceptual understanding of the cell cycle. Furthermore, the results also showed that content knowledge, which was presented using simulations, performed by using bead-work, animation and paper-based worksheets did not improve student performance.