From Rote Recall to Real-World Application: Evidence for Experiential Learning in Schools

Abstract

Rote learning involves memorizing the contents of textbooks and testing them through recall, which may focus more on the performance of the learner rather than true understanding. By contrast, the newer educational methods focus on the use, analysis, and synthesis of knowledge to solve practical problems. As the world of artificial intelligence brings even greater emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving, it is important to consider pedagogical approaches that foster deeper learning and retention. The present study aims to examine the effectiveness of experiential learning and traditional rote learning in the context of secondary school students.A sample of 69 students of the age group 15-18 years comprising 35 male and 34 female students were used in an experimental research design. The learning outcomes were evaluated after students were exposed with rote learning or experiential learning modules. The statistical analyses used an independent sample t-test to compare the learning methods, ANOVA to compare the differences between the age and grade levels, and multiple linear regression to determine the predictors of academic performance.
The results showed that the performance of students who were exposed to experiential learning was significantly higher than the performance of students who were taught by a method of rote learning. The age was significantly related to student scores while the gender was not significantly related to learning outcomes. The results of regression showed that the learning module was the most significant factor influencing academic achievement, suggesting that the learning approach had a significant impact on student achievement.The findings indicate that experiential learning leads to better conceptual understanding, knowledge retention and application of knowledge. These findings suggest that teaching methods should be changed in favor of a more practical approach rather than being focused on memorization. It is imperative that policymakers, educators and curriculum developers invest in experiential learning resources and teacher training to better equip students to meet the demands of the modern world.