Comparing the Effectiveness of the Inductive Thinking Strategies Instruction method with the Traditional Approach instruction on school Achievements of Mentally Retarded fifth graders of Hamedan

Abstract

Objective: The study has been conducted to compare the instruction effects of inductive thinking strategy with the traditional teaching approach on school achievement of students with mental retardation. Method: A quasi-experimental design with pre-test post-test plan with control group has been adapted. A sample of 60 subjects were randomly selected from the population of the fifth- grader students of Hamedan special education schools, A representative sample was randomly assigned into two experimental groups and two control groups. (Each included 15 male and 15 female subjects.) Prior to the research phase both groups received a pre-test. Designed for a science course, the experimental group was assigned under the inductive thinking instruction technique and was instructed by well trained teachers for a period of four months. The number of sessions summed up to at least 24 thirty-minute sessions in a Learning Disability Center in Hamedan. Meanwhile, the control group (males and females) received their instructions in a traditionally presented technique of teacher- Student interactions. Results and recommendations: The school performances of both groups were evaluated by a post-test. The findings showed that the amount of the achievement of the students who received the inductive thinking instructions was far higher than the students who took the same science course by the traditional approach.