Chemistry Students’ Science Process Skills Acquisition: Influence of Gender and Class size

Gladys U Jack

doi:10.22158/grhe.v1n1p80

Abstract

<em>Science process skills are central to the acquisition of scientific knowledge which is useful in problem solving in our immediate environment. In Nigeria, most secondary school students’ performances in chemistry in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) are generally low which could probably be attributed to lack or poor exposure to science process skills. The study therefore investigated the influence of gender, and class size on Chemistry students’ acquisition of science process skills. The design adopted for the study was descriptive survey design. The sample comprised of 720 students drawn through multi-stage random sampling from Adamawa and Taraba States in Nigeria. The research instrument was Science Process Skills Knowledge Test in Chemistry’ (SPSKTC). The study indicated that gender have negligible influence on students’ acquisition of science process skills; while large class size have great influence on students’ acquisition of science process skills. The study concluded that most students in Nigerian schools experience difficulty in the acquisition of science process skills. Based on the findings, it was recommended that there should be reduction of student-teacher ratio in schools and training of teachers on science process skills to enable teachers adopt methods that lead students to have the appropriate skills.</em>

Highlights

Students are to be made able to acquire scientific knowledge by the processes of thinking, analyzing and interpreting observed facts
The research instrument that was used for this study is; Science process skills Knowledge Test in Chemistry (SPSKTC) which consisted of two sections: Section A which demanded personal information on the school and respondent and Section B which consisted of 70 questions on 15 items which include 6 basic or lower skills and 9 higher or integrated skills
There was no significant difference in the mean difficulty process skills scores of Chemistry students between the basic and integrated science process skills acquisition

Summary

Introduction

Students are to be made able to acquire scientific knowledge by the processes of thinking, analyzing and interpreting observed facts. The new science curriculum worldwide stresses science process skills and places emphasis on the development of higher cognitive skills through the student-centred approach (Shulman & Tamir, 2004). Science Process Skills (SPS) are defined as the adaptation of the skills used by scientists for composing knowledge, thinking about problems and drawing conclusion (Farsakoğlu, Sahin, Karsli, Akpinar, & Ultar, 2008). They are the abilities each individual is supposed to possess in a science-based community as a science literate person (Temiz, 2007)

Methods

Results

Conclusion