An action researth study of the effectiveness of horticulture curriculum in reducing behavior problems in the vocational high school students from the special school

• Main Authors: Wei-Chih Peng, 彭志偉
• Other Authors: 張正芬
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/03558867220388204085

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 特殊教育學系在職進修碩士班 === 103 === The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the horticulture curriculum in reducing vocational high school students’ behavior problems in the classroom. Participants of this study were five vocational high school students from the special school. The curriculum was implemented twice a week over a 10 week period. The data analyses included tape recordings during classes, reflection of teaching records, and the interviews of teachers involved. In the beginning phase of this action research study, results showed that the sense of smell experiment could effectively trigger the students’ motivation, and the multimedia teaching aids made students pay more attention in the classroom. In the middle phase, we discovered that the multimedia teaching aids should be adjusted promptly to make it easier to operate, and the students’ curiosity toward the curriculum should be continuously maintained. In the last phase of the study, by using multi-senses stimulus, working analysis method, and by timely adjusting teaching materials, we could effectively improve the students’ learning and decrease the occurrence of students’ negative behaviors. In conclusion, teachers should first identify students’ strengths and arrange the order of the horticulture curriculum based on students’ abilities. Secondly, using multi-senses horticultural activities can increase learning efficiency. Thirdly, plants can be used as a medium to soothe students’ emotions and create a sense of safety for the students. Lastly, using multimedia to present teaching material could not only significantly reduce the students’ behavioral problems in the classroom but also improve their learning effectiveness. Both student participants and the teachers gave positive feedback to the curriculum. For future studies, student’s strength of senses should be identified first to make learning more effective. Also, researchers could try to incorporate this horticulture curriculum into the life science educational curriculum. Through the caring for plants, the students can learn the value of life.