The analysis of teaching an online student-centered classroom with mastery learning to high school biology students

Abstract

Education is developing a continually evolving practice with the implementation of new styles of teaching and uses of technology becoming more and more prevalent. Mastery learning allows for the ability of students to work at their own pace with more frequent feedback compared to a traditional learning environment. The classroom under study will be implementing a mastery learning technique while also having students be completely online. This study investigated the perceptions of students within an online mastery learning classroom. The study also investigated the effect on students' performance through a standardized assessment and observation of grades. Students and parent perception data were collected through survey and interviews. The results indicated that students disliked online learning and wished to return to in-person environments. Mastery learning methods seem to impact perceptions and engagement of students in a positive way. Student performance appeared similar throughout this method of teaching, but more research would be beneficial to implement into the future.