Abstract
Science education is an essential element in thriving and surviving in a volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, disruptive, and diverse (VUCAD2) world. This cross-sectional research determines the challenges of junior high school students in learning science. A total of 123 junior high school students from four government-owned high schools in Zambales, Philippines, served as respondents of the study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed in analyzing the data. The developed Challenges in Learning Science Questionnaire (CLSQ) was used as the primary data gathering tool (α=0.95). Results revealed that junior high school students generally encounter not much challenges across all domains in learning science (M=2.06). However, based on the qualitative data, students encounter some issues and problems in learning the subject in terms of student motivation, student cognitive ability, teacher characteristics, subject matter content, medium of instruction, learning environment, instructional resources, curriculum and parental support. The t-test comparison revealed that male students encounter more challenges in terms of instructional resources and parental support compared to their female counterparts. The proposed action plan is crafted to minimize further the challenges encountered by the students in learning science. The teachers may consider varied and innovative pedagogical practices to explain better complex and complicated topics for better Science learning in a VUCAD2 world.
Highlights
Science education has been part and parcel of the curricular programs of basic up to higher education
The present study identified the challenges in learning science among high school students and to which factors they attribute these challenges
Not considered as a great challenge, students obtained highest means in the instructional resources (M= 2.46; SD= 0.55); medium of instruction (M=2.33; SD= 0.49); curriculum (M=2.30; SD=0.50); and parental support (M=2.30; SD=0.50). This implies that the students generally are challenged in terms of the learning resources in science, the use of English in science teaching, the science education curriculum which involves spiral progression and the support coming from guardians and parents for their academic pursuits
Summary
Science education has been part and parcel of the curricular programs of basic up to higher education. The science curriculum distinguishes the role of science and technology in daily human activities [1]. Sunga and Hermosisima [2] claimed that science education is an important key to succeed in today’s global knowledge environment profoundly shaped by science and technology. Science education is vital in navigating the volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, disruptive, and diverse (VUCAD2) world, which is considered a new normal in education. Morales [3] reiterated that education in the modern world faces compounded uncertainties due to globalization and the extensive and contemporary use of technologies. Manalansan et al [4] stressed that it is imperative to develop the passion and love for learning in a VUCAD2 world among students
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