The effect of an instructional intervention on elementary students' science process skills

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe authors' aim was to investigate the effects of the instructional intervention on science processes skills (SPSs) of seventh-grade students. The study was designed as nonequivalent control-group pretest-posttest, and it was carried out with 43 students. Participants were chosen according to the convenient sampling method. The authors collected data from the test of SPSs assessment, worksheets, or experiment reports. While the control group received a regular teaching approach over existing science curriculum, an instructional intervention by emphasizing SPSs via multiple types of practical activities was used to improve SPSs of the experimental group. Data obtained were analyzed both for inferential and descriptive purposes. The results indicated a significant difference between the experimental group's pretest and posttest scores related to the assessment SPSs. However, the difference between the control group's pretest and posttest scores related to the test of SPSs assessment was not significant. Despite the limitations of the study such as small sample size, lack of analysis of the long-term students' outcomes of SPSs, and no collection of performance-based assessment data from the control group, the authors suggest that the experimental group improved their SPSs via the instructional intervention more than the control group students. The study results also revealed that the students had several problems in using SPSs.