The Impact Of Students Learn On An Educational Environment...

Educational Psychology Research Paper Rachael Sanchez Educational Psychology 354 November 4, 2014 Introduction The way in which students learn in an educational environment is greatly affected by many things. Many argue that students are affected by teachers, peers, mentors, and the environment that they are brought up in and expected to grow in physically and mentally. However, while all of this can be true, students are also greatly impacted by the way they learn in any environment that they are placed in. Chickering Gamson have written about how being a successful student allows the student to grow from their experiences in the classroom if the course includes interaction with others as well as hands-on training†¦show more content†¦Kong incorporates technology, mainly by use of a cognitive tool, to show how students learn through one another and hands-on training, not just by listening to lecture and completing worksheets all day in school. In his study, Kong explains how students can be more successful with the use of computers while interacting and having less lec ture time (Kong, 2011). The results of the study were conclusive to Kong s theory that the use of cognitive tools, in this case a computer, as well as hands-on activities, can help students succeed in their education. The control group in the study that had mainly lecture class sessions was not as successful at retaining the information taught to them as the students that were encouraged to interact when using the computer devices in the classroom sessions for the experimental group. Overall, the 22 classroom sessions that were recorded proved that the cognitive tool as well as peer interaction was more successful for students in the experimental group than the lectures from teachers and less group work that was used in the control group (Kong, 2011). Introduction to Study In the study by Kong (2011), cognitive tools, or CTs, were used by the students. These tools are devices that help to guide the student s cognitive process and assist them in learning the selected course