Discovery based Instruction Research Papers (original) (raw)
City University of Hong Kong's Discovery Enriched Curriculum ('DEC') is a pedagogical approach involving discovery, innovation, and creativity. With its focus on invention and experimentation, this approach lends itself naturally to the... more
City University of Hong Kong's Discovery Enriched Curriculum ('DEC') is a pedagogical approach involving discovery, innovation, and creativity. With its focus on invention and experimentation, this approach lends itself naturally to the artistic and science-based disciplines, yet with an open mind, it can also be implemented within the undergraduate curriculum in law. This article discusses the Discovery Enriched Curriculum and its theoretical basis within the educational literature on discovery-based learning and the undergraduate research movement, before moving on to suggest the ways and means by which the undergraduate law curriculum at City University of Hong Kong could be changed in order to implement DEC, and equally as importantly the ways in which established law teaching practices already fit within the DEC framework. To fully implement DEC within City University of Hong Kong's Bachelor of Laws curriculum, some changes to long-standing teaching practices and the list of core courses will be necessary, but perhaps fewer changes than a sceptic might first believe. Overall, DEC has the potential to become a model for other law schools to follow in adopting inductive learning methods, if these are implemented in accordance with the results of existing pedagogical research.
Discovery learning approaches to education have recently come under scrutiny , with many studies indicating limitations to discovery learning practices. Therefore, 2 meta-analyses were conducted using a sample of 164 studies: The 1st... more
Discovery learning approaches to education have recently come under scrutiny , with many studies indicating limitations to discovery learning practices. Therefore, 2 meta-analyses were conducted using a sample of 164 studies: The 1st examined the effects of unassisted discovery learning versus explicit instruction, and the 2nd examined the effects of enhanced and/or assisted discovery versus other types of instruction (e.g., explicit, unassisted discovery). Random effects analyses of 580 comparisons revealed that outcomes were favorable for explicit instruction when compared with unassisted discovery under most conditions (d ϭ -0.38, 95% CI [-.44, Ϫ.31]). In contrast, analyses of 360 comparisons revealed that outcomes were favorable for enhanced discovery when compared with other forms of instruction (d ϭ 0.30, 95% CI [.23, .36]). The findings suggest that unassisted discovery does not benefit learners, whereas feedback, worked examples, scaffolding, and elicited explanations do.