Science process skills acquisition level among form two students in one district of Sabah

Abstract

This research was conducted to identify the acquisition level of science process skills among Form 2 students in one of the districts of Sabah, Malaysia, and to investigate the difference between male and female students' acquisition levels of such skills. The survey study involved a sample of 269 students (134 female and 135 male) aged 14 to15 years using the Science Process Skills Test (SPST) that consists of 35 items covering Basic Science Process Skills (BSPS) and the Integrated Science Process Skills (ISPS). The descriptive statistical results indicated that the science process skills for both male and female students were at a moderate level. The male and female students scored 47.28% and 49.89% respectively in the SPST. The independent t-test result revealed that there was no significant difference between male and female students' science process skills, although female students got better scores compared to male students with a p-value (0.684) that was more than 0.05 (p> 0.05). In conclusion, the acquisition of science process skills among students was at a moderate level for both genders despite the different teaching and learning approaches suggested by the Ministry of Education. This indicates the need for more attention being paid towards the teaching and learning activities that might enhance students’ science process skills, and might direct future research in terms of factors that might affect students' performance in terms of such skills.