The Effect of Teaching Strategies on

the Usage of Learning Strategies

erife KARAKO*, Nurettin MEK*

Abstract
This research was conducted to determine whether teaching strategies used by teachers had a
significant effect on learning strategies used by students, and (if so) to determine the quality and
the level of the effect. The research was carried out on 32 students enrolled in the Faculty of
Health Education at Ankara University. In order to determine the learning strategies used by
the subject. The Overall Learning Strategies Evaluation Scale (OLSES; ztrk, 1995) was used
as a pretest. Throughout the 6 week practices, inquiry and expository teaching strategies were
used on two different groups. At the end of the practices the scale was readministired as a posttest. The variations in the type and the number and the way of the learning strategies used by
the students were compared by the McNemar-test, Chi Square-test, Mann-Whitney U test and
Wicoxon test. Findings indicate that teaching strategies used by the teachers had significant
effects on type, number and way of learning strategies used by the students.
Key Words
Learning Strategies, Teaching Strategies, Inquiry Teaching, Expository Teaching
*Correspondence: M.A., Ankara University Faculty of Health Education, Department of Health Education,
Research Assistant, Keiren, Ankara, Turkey. E-mail: serifekarakoc@health.ankara.edu.tr
** Assis. Prof., Ankara University Faculty of Educational Sciences Department of Computer &
Instructional Technologies. E-mail: nsimsek@ebuline.com
Kuram ve Uygulamada Eitim Bilimleri / Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice
4 (1) Mays / May 2004 116-121
2004 Eitim Danmanl ve Aratrmalar letiim Hizmetleri Tic. Ltd. ti. (EDAM)

retme Stratejilerinin renme Stratejileri Kullanmna Etkisi 125

The questions of how can educational practices be made effective? and how can
we teach? have still been prevailing since the existence of mankind. As a
result of the attempts made to answer these types of questions created the
concept of teaching strategies. In general, a strategy is a followed way to
get something (Akgz, 1996). Teaching strategies are ways that are followed in order to reach learning objectives. Some of the contemporary
strategies are commonly classified as student-centered and teacher-centered strategies (Gztok, 2000). According to Senemolu (2001), teaching strategies have been classified in five groups as discovery teaching,
expository teaching, cooperative learning, the model of learning activities,
and model of direct instruction. In a different classification, Gztok
(2000) classified the teaching strategies in three groups as expository
teaching, discovery teaching, and inquiry teaching.
Another important question is how does a person learn? In one respect, this
question is the answer of the question of how can we teach?
Learning strategies are plans which are followed in order to reach learning objectives and are techniques that are improved by person to carry out
these plans (Derry, 1989). While learning strategies have been defined in
various ways by various researchers (Gagne & Driscoll, 1989; Pressley &
Harris, 1990; Weinstein & Mayer, 1986), in the present study, ztrk
(1995)s classification was used. According to this classification, learning
strategies are clustered around seven groups as attention, rehearsal, elaboration, metacognition, recall, and settle in mind, and sensory.
When the literature is reviewed, it was seen that researchers have been
more interested in issues such as the effectiveness level of teaching strategies and the assessment of teaching strategies (ztrk, 1995), the teaching of learning strategies (zer, 2002; ztrk, 1995), and the effect of
learning strategies on student success and attitude (Babadoan &
Grkan, 2002; Kaar, 1999; Snbl, 1998; Talu, 1997; Wise, 1996).
Other studies examined issues such as the students evaluations for teaching approaches and their perceptions of learning environment (Campbell
at al., 2001; Hativa & Birenbaum, 2000). However, no experimental
research that has investigated the effect of teaching strategies on learning
strategies was encountered. The importance of the subject and the lack
research in the field evoke the need for researchers to determine whether
teaching strategies used by teachers have a significant effect on learning
strategies used by students.
Therefore, this research was conducted to determine whether teaching
strategies used by teachers had significant effects on the learning strategies used by students, and (if there is) to determine the quality and the
level of these effects. The following questions served as the research
goals in the study:

126 KURAM VE UYGULAMADA ETM BLMLER

Do the types of learning strategies used by students vary as to teaching

strategies used by teachers? Does the number of learning strategies used
by students vary as to teaching strategies used by teachers? Do the ways
of learning strategies used by students vary as to teaching strategies
used by teachers?
Method
Subjects

The research was carried out on 32 students enrolled in the Faculty of

Health Education at Ankara University. The university entrance exam
scores and gender were used as the control variables in determining the
experimental group.
Instrument

In the study, the Overall Learning Strategies Evaluation Scale (OLSES), a

five-point Likert type scale, was used to determine the learning strategies
used by the experimental group. The test-retest reliability of the OLSES
is .64 for attention strategy (6 items), .71 for rehearsal strategy (9 items), .74
for elaboration strategy (19 items), .61 for settle in mind strategy (6 items), .71
for recall strategy (6 items), .79 for metacognition strategy (6 items), and .64
for sensory strategy (11 items) (ztrk, 1995).
Procedures

In order to determine the learning strategies used by the study groups,

the OLSES was applied as a pretest. Throughout the 6 week practices,
inquiry and expository teaching strategies were used on two different
groups. At the end of the practices, the scale was readminitered to the
groups as a post test.
Data Analysis

The variations in learning strategies used by the students were compared

by the McNemar and Chisquare tests; the variations in the number of
the learning strategies used by the students were compared by the
Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon tests; the change in the way of the
learning strategies used by the students were compared by the
McNemar and Chi Square tests.
Results
Changes in the type of learning strategies used by students: After the
experimental treatment, significant differences were found within and
between the groups. On one hand, students using the inquiry teaching
strategy began to use elaborative strategy more intensively and rehearsal
strategy occasionally. On the other hand, students using expository teaching strategy began to use rehearsal and recall strategies more intensively.

retme Stratejilerinin renme Stratejileri Kullanmna Etkisi 127

Changes in the number of learning strategies used by students: Whereas

no significant difference was found between groups, significant differences
were found within groups. After the experimental treatment, the number of
students using the expository teaching strategy increased significantly.
Changes in the way of learning strategies used by students: It was found
that the way of learning strategies used by students changed significantly.
Discussion
Findings indicate that the teaching strategies used by teacher had a significant effect on the learning strategies used by students. It was hypothesized that teaching strategies used by teacher could affect type, number
and way of learning strategies used by students. It was found that while
students using the inquiry teaching strategy began to use elaborative
strategy more intensively, students using the expository teaching strategy
began to use rehearsal and recall strategies more intensively. More students started using the expository teaching strategy was increased. Also,
it was found that teaching strategies used by the teachers had an effect on
the learning strategies used by the students.
These results can be related to the nature of teaching strategies. It can be
asserted that the use of inquiry teaching strategy facilitates, necessitates,
or encourages the use of learning strategies which require thinking and
interpreting. The use of expository teaching strategy can be said to have
the effect to facilitates, necessitates or encourages the use of learning
strategies which facilitate settle in mind and recall.
The encouragement effect of the use of inquiry teaching strategy to use
of elaborative strategy by students supports the results of pervious studies (i.e., Babadoan & Grkan, 2002) where the researchers found that,
that inquiry teaching strategy showed a significant effect on such student
abilities as analysis, synthesis, and interpretation.
On the applications related to use of teaching strategies, the following
points should be taken into consideration:
Different teaching strategies should be used in courses so that students
can use different learning strategies. Expository teaching strategy should
be supported by student-centered teaching strategies. Inquiry teaching
strategy should be used more in order to improve such student abilities as
analysis, synthesis, and interpretation. Similar studies should be conducted at different levels of instruction and in different groups. Other teaching strategies effects on the use of learning strategies by students should
also be investigated.

128 KURAM VE UYGULAMADA ETM BLMLER

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