Predictors of students' concept of life

• Main Author: Castañeda, Azucena A.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1989
• Subjects: Students > Psychology; Life; Biology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/1194
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study describes students' views on the concept of life: to establish their stability of framework across context, and to establish the predictors of students' concept of life based from their views and some identified demographic variable. The research procedure involved combination of techniques to solicit information on conceptual frameworks. The respondents consisted of 105 students in the interview phase and 1028 secondary and tertiary students in the survey phase. Three instruments, interview-about-instances (IAI), life concept test (LCT) and PSMC's Cognitive Test, were used to gather data. Qualitative analysis was employed in the interview phase. Inferential statistics was done to determine significant correlation between the dependent variable (LCT) and other variables. Stepwise regression was sought to find the best predictor that has the strongest influence on the stability of framework. Studies revealed that all respondents were able to identify living things from non-living things and could enumerate scientific reasons to support their statements. The life concept Test (LCT) was significantly correlated with student's cognitive level of development, achievement grade in science and the type of school attended. Majority of the respondents were below the level of cognitive development based on the Piagetian table and most of the formal thinkers were in college. The good predictors of the concept of life are cognitive level of development, type of school attended, course taking and age.