Effectiveness of individual and group investigations in developing integrated science inquiry skills

Monde Kazeni,Estelle Gaigher,Eddy Baloyi

doi:10.15700/saje.v38n3a1549

Abstract

The South African Physical Sciences Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) requires learners to develop science inquiry skills, including Integrated Science Inquiry Skills (ISIS). However, the performance of learners in assessment tasks related to ISIS has been consistently poor over several years. The use of ineffective pedagogical methods to develop practical skills could partly account for this poor performance. This study compared the effectiveness of individual and group practical investigations in developing ISIS in learners. The study involved 319 purposively selected Grade 11 Physical Sciences learners in Limpopo Province, South Africa. A mixed-method approach was used to collect data. Pre- and post-tests, and practical reports were used to assess learners’ competence in ISIS, while a questionnaire provided information about their opinions regarding the investigation methods used. A comparison of the performance of the two classes of learners showed no significant difference in their overall competence in ISIS. Qualitative analysis of the practical reports and learners’ opinions revealed some discrepancies between the two investigation classes. The results suggest that the two approaches to practical investigations are approximately equally effective in developing learners’ overall ISIS.Keywords: group investigation; individual investigation; integrated science inquiry skills; practical investigations

Highlights

Competency in science inquiry skills enables individuals to design and conduct scientific research in order to develop effective solutions to the problems which they encounter as they interact with their environment (Harlen, 2014)
The results from this study ought to instil confidence in educators to use either of the investigation approaches or both, to conduct practical investigations, as they seem to be effective in developing science inquiry skills
The quantitative findings from this study revealed that the competencies of learners exposed to individual and group investigations in Inquiry Skills (ISIS) were statistically similar before and after the practical investigations

Summary

Introduction

Competency in science inquiry skills enables individuals to design and conduct scientific research in order to develop effective solutions to the problems which they encounter as they interact with their environment (Harlen, 2014). The South African Physical Sciences CAPS document emphasises the development of ISIS such as: formulating hypotheses, identifying, controlling and manipulating variables, operationally defining variables, designing and conducting experiments, collecting and interpreting data, and solving learner problems (DBE, 2012) Despite this emphasis, the 2011 and 2012 Grade 12 national diagnostic reports on learner performance in Physical Sciences showed poor performance in questions assessing competence in science inquiry skills (DBE, Republic of South Africa, 2011, 2012). The use of ineffective teaching and learning methods during practical investigations could partly account for the poor performance in questions related to inquiry skills To this effect, Science Community Representing Education ([SCORE], 2008) suggests that practical work, when done well, can stimulate and engage learners at different levels, challenging them mentally and physically in ways that other science experiences cannot. The teaching methods commonly used to develop science inquiry skills include demonstrations, individual practical work, group practical work and computer-simulated experiments (Feyzioğlu, 2009:115)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion