Abstract
The study aimed to explore how improving conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills in secondary school students can lead to better academic success in the field of physics. The research utilised a multistage sampling technique, selecting 64 schools as clusters and randomly selecting 2350 male and female students for the study. The focus is on increasing enrolments and enhancing the overall quality of education by improving students' abilities in critical thinking and problem-solving. The ultimate goal is to boost academic achievement and ensure a higher standard of education in the sector. Two self-designed achievement tests were utilised in this research based on the updated Bloom's taxonomy to assess the conceptual understanding and problem-solving abilities of students. Conceptual Knowledge Test (CKT) was of 20 MCQs items whereas the Problems-Solving Skills Test (PSST) consisted on five problem-based supply type questions. The tests were validated by the experts. The pilot study revealed 0.87 of reliability for CKT and 0.67 for PSST. This reliability was verified with Ferguson delta 0.99 for both tests. The item difficulty and discrimination index remained moderate. The significance of the variables was determined using an independent samples t-test, while the correlation between the variables was assessed using the Pearson product moment correlation. The analysis revealed moderately significant relationships between the variables. The study revealed statistically significant gender differences in academic performance, with females outperforming males across all variables examined. Therefore, educators are advised to implement concept learning strategies and problem-based learning approaches in order to improve students' conceptual understanding and problem-solving abilities
Published Version
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