In an attempt to understand whether students have undergone better learning experiences by studying at prestigious high schools rather than ordinary ones, this study compared three aspects of learning experiences (classroom teaching methods, cram education participation, extracurricular reading) between students who studied at one of the 19 most prestigious high schools and students who studied at high schools other than these 19 schools. A total of 30842 students who participated in the 2005 Freshmen Survey in the Higher Education Database of Taiwan served as the participants of this study. Major findings are as follows: First, according to student responses, teachers at prestigious high schools employed four classroom teaching methods that allowed higher levels of student participation in the learning process more often; Second, the percentages of students who received cram education with regard to the subjects of English, Math, Physics, and Chemistry were higher in the prestigious high schools than in other high schools, whereas the percentages regarding the subjects of History and Geography were lower in prestigious high schools than in their counterparts; Third, students studying at prestigious high schools read newspaper, novels, prose/poetry, academic books and comic books more frequently than their counterparts at other high schools did, and the differences in regard to prose/poetry, academic books were of some practical significance. Practical and research implications based on these findings are discussed.
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Undergoing Better Learning Experiences If Studying at Prestigious High Schools Rather Than Ordinary Ones? Investigating Classroom Teaching Methods, Cram Education Participation and Extracurricular Reading
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