The long-term effects of introducing the 5E model of instruction on students’ conceptual learning

Figures & data

Table 1. Description of the phases of the 5E model (from Bybee et al., 2006).

Phase	Description
Engage	The teacher or a curriculum task accesses the learners’ prior knowledge and helps them become engaged in a new concept through the use of short activities that promote curiosity and elicit prior knowledge. The activity should make connections between past and present learning experiences, expose prior conceptions, and organise students’ thinking toward the learning outcomes of current activities.
Explore	Exploration experiences provide students with a common base of activities within which current concepts (i.e. alternative conceptions), processes, and skills are identified and conceptual change is facilitated. Learners may complete lab activities that help them use prior knowledge to generate new ideas, explore questions and possibilities, and design and conduct a preliminary investigation.
Explain	The explanation phase focuses students’ attention on a particular aspect of their engagement and exploration experiences and provides opportunities to demonstrate their conceptual understanding, process skills, or behaviors. This phase also provides opportunities for teachers to directly introduce a concept, process, or skill. Learners explain their understanding of the concept. An explanation from the teacher or the curriculum may guide them toward a deeper understanding, which is a critical part of this phase.
Elaborate	Teachers challenge and extend students’ conceptual understanding and skills. Through new experiences, the students develop deeper and broader understanding, more information, and adequate skills. Students apply their understanding of the concept by conducting additional activities.
Evaluate	The evaluation phase encourages students to assess their understanding and abilities and provides opportunities for teachers to evaluate student progress toward achieving the educational objectives.

Table 2. Distribution of students (n) by group, grade, and year.

	Experimental		Control		TOTAL
Grade	3rd	4th	3rd	4th
2014	111	93	84	83	371
2019	90	97	87	80	354

Figure 1. Percentage of correct answers of the pre- and post-test in 3rd grade students.

Figure 2. Percentage of correct answers of the pre- and post-test in 4th grade students.

Table 3. Percentage of correct answers of the pre- and post-test in 3rd grade students (experimental vs. control).

3rd grade, secondary school	Pre-test (2013–14)	Post-test (2018–19)	Difference	p-value	Cohen's d
5E model (experimental)	53.45% (n=111)	58.32% (n=90)	4.87%	0.0030	0.427
Conventional methods (control)	54.86% (n=84)	55.36% (n=87)	0.50%	0.7581	-

Table 4. Percentage of correct answers of the pre- and post-test in 4th grade students (experimental vs. control).

4th grade, secondary school	Pre-test (2013–14)	Post-test (2018–19)	Difference	p-value	Cohen's d
5E model (experimental)	56.81% (n=93)	61.77% (n=97)	4.96%	0.0028	0.439
Conventional methods (control)	56.53% (n=83)	53.89% (n=80)	−2.64%	0.1540	-

Bybee, R. W., Taylor, J. A., Gardner, A., Van Scotter, P., Powell, J. C., Westbrook, A., & Landes, N. (2006). The BSCS 5E instructional model: Origins and effectiveness. BSCS. 5, 88-98.

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