Abstract
1) Purpose and Method
This study was administrated by two purposes; one was theoretical, the other practical. The former is to investigate whether the non-similarity between the two learning methods (child-centered group method and teacher-centered method) brings about the difference of the social behavior of children. The latter is to find what different effect arises in social studies.
The method of this study was comparative experiment with the use of two equivalent classes in the 4-th grade of elementary school; one class was taught with the child-centered group method. and the other with the teacher-centered method.
2) Results.
(a) The child-centered group method improved the social behavior of children more than the teacher-centered method.
(b) From the result of sociometric test, we found that the child-centered group method increased the positive friendship of children, and decreased their negative friendship.
(c) In comparison with the learning result of social studies, the child-centered group method did not decrease the learning result of social studies, but increased the social skills.
(d) The child-centered group method had the advantage over the teacher-centered method for the uper intelligence children, and the disadvantage for the lower intelligence ones.
(e) The child-centered group method increased the positive, independent and co-operative attitudes of children, but the teacher-centered method increased their negative, heteronomous and dis cooperative attitudes.
(f) The child-centered group method aroused the learning motivation of children more than teacher-centered method. And this tendency was transferred to the learing of the other school subjects.
