A systematic review of programmed learning approach in science education

Abstract

Natural science subjects have always been the most challenging for students in schools and universities. While the pandemic brought about a lot of new challenges, it also gave academics the chance to test out evaluation methodologies they had previously thought about but hadn’t used in a relatively low-risk setting. The programmed learning approach is a teaching and learning pedagogy that creates better learning experiences. Therefore, this systematic literature review focuses on the impact of programmed instruction on the learning process. The analysis was made based on the PRISMA review methodology. Five databases were searched to find 33 articles about the benefits of programmed instruction in science education published between 1970 and 2022. In terms of research participants, the majority of the studies (14 studies) focused on undergraduate students, college students (5 studies), lecturers/teachers (3 studies), mixed (2 studies), and adults (1study). Our systematic review found the following benefits of programmed learning: effective and fun teaching approaches, proven favourable impacts on behaviour change, increased scores for college and secondary school students, and raised students’ interest.