Student-centered approach and alternative assessments to improve students' learning domains during health education sessions

Abstract

Study aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of astudent-centered approach and alternative assessments on students' learning domains (i.e., cognitive, affective, psychomotor) during health education learning sessions. Material and methods: Four groups totaling 65 mixed-gender undergraduate students (ages 20-25) of physical and health education participated in this study of alternative assessments' effects on students' learning once per week (3 hours) in their respective classrooms for seven weeks at a central Malaysia university. Students' knowledge on the lesson contents was gathered using a series of quizzes. Students' self-efficacy was assessed using the modified Traits Sport-Confidence Inventory (TSCI), and students' levels of physical activity were assessed using a mobile pedometer. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-tests to evaluate pre/post differences. Results: The students' perception and knowledge on health education improve across interventions with greater efficacy (7.64± 0.97) at the post-test compared to the pre-test (7.30± 1.38). Students' recorded improvement in step counts between week two and week five. A slight reduction during weeks six and seven may be due to the end of the semester and preparation for the final examinations. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that astudent-centered approach and alternative assessment of learning were effective to engage students with contents and developing whole learning domains within the classroom.