Classroom-Workshop format in Elementary school. Impact on students' motivation and their learning achievements

Abstract

The improvement of the quality of education has been one of the issues the Uruguayan academic community has put most effort into. However, the learning outcomes from students bear little relation with the efforts devoted. Today, the traditional schools fail to meet the students' expectations and thence learners lose motivation in the classroom. The objective of the present research is to analyze the influence of the Workshop format on both motivation and improvement of learning achievements by elementary students. A mixed methodology was implemented with a sequential comparative approach on a population of 172 students from grades 4-6, ranging from ages 10 to 14, at two schools in the locality of Paysandú (Uruguay). A quasi-experimental design was implemented: a control group with which traditional pedagogical methodologies were used and an experimental one, with the innovation of Workshop format. Students were subjected to two tests: a Comprehensive Study Diagnosis (DIE I) and an Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS), while teachers were subjected to a Dilemmas Questionnaire on Teaching and Learning and an Analysis of printed documents. The conclusion was that the children's active participation in game-like scenarios improves their attitude towards study and, at the same time, has a boosting effect on their motivation. Furthermore, the former facilitates the self-regulation process and optimizes school performance. Therefore, there is a clear need for redesigning the traditional school formats. Conceived as an experience that goes beyond the linear model, the new format organizes time and space universally, promoting the encounter and the exchange of knowledge. Besides, this new format has good impact on teachers too, who must organize their teaching practices with a more creative configuration to meet the real needs of their students.