RESEARCH ARTICLE Adv.Sci.Lett.24,11,7866-7870(5)
1 Adv.Sci.Lett. Vol.24,11,7866-7870(5) DOI:https://doi.org/10.1166/asl.2018.12445
Copyright ©2018 American Scientific Publishers Advanced Science Letters
All rights reserved Vol. 24.Number 11
Printed in the United States of America
Predicting Conceptual Understanding of DC Circuits
Using Intentional Learning Questionnaire
Dr. Cecilia O. Bucayong
1, 2
, Dr. Bee Ching U. Ong Kian Koc
1
1
Science Education Department, De La Salle University, Manila 0922, Philippines
2
Physics Department, CAS, Central Mindanao University, Bukidnon 8710, Philippines
Extensive researches have been conducted to promote conceptual understanding but few focused on the student’s intentional
learning
5
. This study sought to determine the intentional learning factors, basing on students’ motivation and learning strategies
used, which are highly correlated and predictive of the conceptual understanding of Direct Current (DC) circuits. The overall
study consist of four phases used mixed research designs. The first and second phases, which were the focus of this paper, used
an exploratory correlational method for the development of Intentional Learning Questionnaire in Electric Circuit (ILQ-EC).
ILQ-EC was constructed based on the existing instruments which have bearing on motivation and learning strategies factors.
The pilot testing of ILQ-EC instrument and data for correlation and regression analysis were gathered from two state
universities in the Philippines. Statistical results showed that ILQ-EC could identify intentional learning factors that are highly
correlated to the conceptual understanding of electric circuits. Specifically, perceived competence and critical thinking are the
factors found to be most predictive in increasing the conceptual understanding of the students in this context.
Keywords: Conceptual Understanding, DC Electric Circuit, Intentional Learning, Learning Strategies, Motivation
INTRODUCTION
Recent methodological advancements in educational
researches are attentive in examining how the students
learn not just on what to learn
1
. Accordingly, one way that
guarantees students educational success is being an
intentional learner
2
. Educators use intentional content in
order to create an active learning or student centered
classroom setting.
17
Intentional learning involves focus and determination
on the part of the learners as they engage themselves in
the educational processes. In other words, this involves
cognitive processes with learning goals rather than just
incidental outcomes
3
. This is in line with the “Hot
Cognition” concept
4
which means learning becomes
intentional when goals are incorporated with motivation
and learning strategies. Therefore motivation and
strategies play a crucial part in the aspects of how to
study and learn
However, many researchers are focusing on
conceptual understanding, few are looking at the
intentional ways that students engage in learning and how
this engagement affects conceptual understanding
5
. This
is still an ongoing trend in spite of the researchers’ belief
that success of learning strategies in the classroom depends
on the learner’s strategic thinking
3
. Teaching strategies must
*Email Address: ceciliabucayong11384611@gmail.com
therefore align with the students learning strategies.
However, some studies presented that the student’s GPA
shows independent effects on learning strategies
6, 7
. This
aspect needs further investigations, hence being addressed
in the present study.
Research shows that when quantitatively measuring
the fusion of skill and will of students to learn, it is
necessary to have instrument that captures its
conceptualizations, dispositions and skills
8
. Thus, the
initial conduct of the study focused on the development of
intentional learning questionnaire in electric circuit (ILQ-
EC). ILQ-EC is different from existing electric circuit
(EC) tests since the construct was not constructed for the
assessment of learning. The instrument was designed to
measure the motivational factors that the students
engaged and their preferred learning strategies in electric
circuit context. Moreover, ILQ-EC is intentional in the
sense that this instrument measured the students’ self-
initiated, purposive role and conscious engagement in the
learning process
9
. Basing on the review of related
researches, no intentional learning instrument was yet
developed similar in context to the present study.
BRIEF LITERATURE REVIEW
Researches provide information on how motivation
and learning strategies affect the performance of the