The effectiveness of a teaching approach using brain-based learning elements on students’ performance in a Biology course

Abstract

Brain-Based Learning (BBL) is an educational theoretical framework based on principles that derive from important findings about the structure and function of the brain through biology, psychology, and neuroscientific research, and forms a holistic context for a comprehensive instructional approach design. In the present study, a teaching intervention, using BBL elements, was designed and its effectiveness on secondary students’ performance in a Biology course was assessed. A quasi-experimental research design, using pretest and posttest, was implemented, involving an experimental group and a control group of seventh-grade students from a public mainstream school. The results revealed that the students of the experimental group had a significantly higher mean score than the students of the control group on an achievement test, which was delivered as post-test, indicating that the suggested teaching approach had a positive effect on the students’ improvement in academic performance. These results are discussed in the context of improving teaching practices, and supporting the use of BBL elements in constructing more efficient teaching practices for Biology courses. © 2022 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.