Science Subjects In Secondary Schools Research Articles

Context-relevant strategies for ICT integration in teaching and learning science subjects in Tanzania secondary schools

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can improve science teaching and learning. However, understanding the contexts in which ICT is intended to be integrated for its effectiveness is limited. Therefore, the current study explored context-relevant strategies and challenges for ICT integration in the teaching and learning science subjects in secondary schools in Tanzania. Exploratory sequential design under mixed methods guided the study's conduct. 52 participants (45 science teachers, six heads of schools and one municipal education officer) were purposefully and conveniently involved. Data were collected in two phases: 1st phase was qualitative data through in-depth interviews, 2nd phase was quantitative data through a questionnaire. Thematic analysis guided qualitative data analysis where MS Excel in the form of pivotal charts were used to present the frequency of the responses. SPSS version 27 guided the quantitative data analysis, presenting the output descriptively. Participants presented various context-relevant strategies, including capacity building for teachers, building and equipping computer labs with ICT facilities, maintaining and repairing defective computers, deploying educational technology experts, and making ICT compulsory at all levels of education. On the other hand, participants identified a lack of ICT facilities, limited ICT training opportunities, and digital content as context-relevant challenges for ICT integration in science teaching and learning. The study recommends rigorous pre-service and in-service teacher training programmes on ICT pedagogical integration for science teaching and learning based on these findings. Again, we recommend the improvement of ICT infrastructure in schools to enhance the availability, access, and use of science teaching and learning. The study concludes that if sufficient infrastructures are available and science teachers are equipped with ICT knowledge, teaching and learning of science subjects will be effective.

Factors influencing students’ attitude towards science subjects in Secondary Schools: A case study of Secondary Schools in Kisseka Sub County, Masaka District.

As a result of its earliest history, science has faced a minimal level of interest in secondary schools by students and few teachers qualified for teaching. The study, therefore, was about factors influencing students’ attitudes towards science subjects in secondary schools. The study was carried out in Kisseka Sub County, Masaka District. The study was aimed at analyzing factors that influence students' attitudes towards the sciences, analyzing current teaching and learning practices in science and mathematics, and establishing strategies that have been adopted to improve students’ attitudes towards the science subjects. Various data collection methods were used to elicit information from the respondents. These included a self-administered questionnaire, key informant interviews, and a documentary review. The data was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively using a computer package known as Microsoft Excel. Excel was used to generate tables, charts, and graphs. From the findings, it was found that students’ attitudes towards science subjects were generally negative. The negative students’ attitudes toward science subjects were attributed to a lack of necessary laboratory equipment, a lack of confidence and trust that the students may have towards the teachers handling the subject, low commitment by teachers, old students influence, and poor teaching methods. The teaching methods used by science teachers were said to include the use of notes and explanations, the use of practicals in the laboratory, setting constant tests for the science students, and the use of discussions. These teaching methods varied according to different secondary schools and according to their different capacities. With the above background, there is a need to encourage science and mathematics teachers to improve their classroom practices and create a conducive learning environment for students to motivate them to offer science subjects. Also, the school head teachers, in conjunction with the district education department, should recruit more trained and qualified science teachers to effectively handle science students’ needs. Keywords: Students, Science teachers, Secondary schools, Teaching methods

Influence of Teachers ‘Training on Students’ Academic Performance in Science Subjects in Secondary Schools of Musanze Districts

Influence of Teachers ‘Training on Students’ Academic Performance in Science Subjects in Secondary Schools of Musanze Districts

Science Competence Assessment at Middle School: Teacher's Perception and Practice

Science competence is one of the most vital learning outcomes of Natural Science subjects in general education. The research presents a guideline to develop assessment criteria/toolkits following the science competence components containing science awareness, science inquiry, and scientific problem-solving. A topic titled "how to classify mixtures and separate the mixture" in natural science six is presented to illustrate the guideline. A deep interview method was applied with thirteen natural science teachers to gather information about teachers' perceptions and practices in teaching and assessing activities to support students in enhancing their science competence. Feedback from teachers about the proposed guidelines was also collected. The research results created a picture of implementing Natural Science subjects in secondary schools with information about the challenges and needs of teachers to improve the issues. This paper is expected to provide teachers have more valuable tools in the innovation phase toward competence-based teaching and assessment.

Impact of SMASSE Programme on Secondary School Students’ Achievement in Physics in Bomet County, Kenya

Science subjects are the backbone of the scientific and technological advancements in the world. Achievement in science subjects in secondary schools in Kenya has been below average. The low achievement in the national examinations has been attributed mainly to teacher centered teaching approaches used by teachers. In an attempt to address the low achievement in Physics, the Strengthening of Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education (SMASSE) teaching program was introduced through In-service Education and Training INSET) in the whole of Kenya in 2004.Therefore, this study was an attempt to fill this gap. The objectives of the study were; to find out whether SMASSE approach had impacted the achievement in physics and whether there was a gender difference in the achievement in Physics among secondary school students in Konoin sub-county. The study used expost-facto research design as well as a survey research design. Stratified and systematic sampling was employed to select schools for this study. The population was the KCSE candidates in Konoin Sub- County and the accessible populations were the 2000-2003 candidates before SMASSE was introduced and 2012-2015 KCSE candidates immediately after. There was a total of 5017 candidates in this target class in 24 secondary schools in Konoin Sub-County in period 2000-03 and 5204 in the period 2012-15. The schools were in 3 categories, these were extra-County, county, and sub-county schools and both stratified, systematic sampling and purposive sampling were used to select 12 schools with a total of 826 students for the period 2000-2003 and 1390 in the same 12 schools for the period 2012-2015 took part in this study. The research instruments used for the study were a Document analysis tools. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in the analysis of data t-test and ANOVA were used as inferential statistic to test the null hypothesis. All statistical tests were subjected to a test of significance at coefficient alpha (α) of 0.05. The study found out that there was no statistically significant difference between those students who were exposed to SMASSE and those who were not. The findings may inform decisions and action towards improving teaching and learning of Physics in Kenya. The study also may help to sensitize teachers, curriculum planners, policy makers and other education stake holders as far as SMASSE program is concerned on the areas that require improvement. Keywords: SMASSE, Kenya, teaching and learning of Physics DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-3-07 Publication date: January 31 st 2023

Factors Affecting Students’ Performance, Enrolment and Retention in Science Subjects in Secondary Schools in Uganda: A Case Study of Kigezi Region of Uganda

In this paper, we investigate the teaching of science subjects before and after the lockdown and explore the factors that affect students’ confidence in passing national examinations. The research was carried out in the districts of the Kigezi region in Uganda, where 435 students from 12 schools and 60 science teachers provided both qualitative and quantitative data on the state of science education before, during and post the Covid-19-induced lockdown through interviews and questionnaires. Multiple regression analysis was performed to establish the relationship between syllabus coverage, practical coverage, likability of the science subjects, and confidence in passing both school and national examinations. We note that poor syllabus coverage and lack of adequate practical time are often blamed for the poor pass rates in science subjects in secondary schools in Uganda, but this research indicates that blaming these two alone is simplistic at best. Our results show that although the two factors are important to students by themselves, they are not the only determinants of students’ confidence in success in national examinations. We show that subject likability is an indispensable determinant of students’ confidence in passing science subjects in national examinations, and together with practical teaching as well as syllabus coverage, a winning formula for improving confidence in passing and ultimately enrollment is obtained. From this, we conclude that improving students’ attitude and perception of science should be emphasized as much as advocacy for practical teaching and completion of the syllabus in time. This will improve students’ perception and performance in the sciences with the overall effect of boosting retention rates in STEM subjects.

Innovative Pedagogy and Improvement of Students’ Knowledge Retention in Science Education: Learning Activity Package Instructional Approach

Knowledge retention can be described as the ability of the students to assimilate available information during the learning process and recall/apply such knowledge obtained over time. Previously, students’ active involvement in the teaching and learning processes through innovative pedagogies has enhanced their capacity for knowledge retention. This study, therefore, evaluated the potency of innovative pedagogy, the learning activity package (LAP), in fostering students’ knowledge retention in science subjects in secondary schools, using gender as a moderating variable. The design was quasi-experimental. The sample was 208 class two students grouped into experimental and control groups exposed to LAP and lecture methods, respectively. Data were obtained using the Chemistry Achievement and Retention Test and analyzed with mean, standard deviation, standard error, and the analysis of covariance, computed with SPSS. The findings revealed that the innovative pedagogy improved the students’ knowledge retention in science more than the lecture method at F (1,202) = 45.72, p = .00, p ˂ .05. Besides, there was no interaction effect of method and gender on the students’ retention of knowledge in science at F (1, 203) = 2.47, p = .12, p > .05. The implication is the avalanche of innovative science teachers who blend their instructional strategies to provide for the student’s active participation in the teaching-learning processes for enhanced students’ knowledge retention in science subjects. This research is novel because science teachers can easily adopt the LAP approach for effective lesson delivery, culminating in enhanced students’ knowledge retention in secondary schools in developing nations.

Analyzing the Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown on Students' Retention Ability in Selected Science Subjects

This research was aimed at determining the retention ability of students in science subjects in secondary schools during the COVID-19 lockdown. Three hypotheses were tested. Descriptive research design was used in this study. The population of the study comprised senior secondary school mathematics students in SS 3 in some selected secondary schools in Delta and Lagos States. The sample used for this study was 125 science students from selected secondary schools, who were willing to take part in the study. The instrument used for this study is the Science Retention Test (SRT). Data obtained were analyzed using SPPS version 25. The Bayesian Statistics was used to test the hypotheses stated for the study. Results obtained showed that the mean and standard deviation of student scores in mathematics, biology and chemistry before the COVID-19 lockdown was 69.50±17.40, while at resumption, their mean and standard deviation score stood at 53.29±17.46, with Bayes value of 4.0, which indicated that the student's scores before COVID-19 lockdown were higher than their retention scores and significantly differed. There was however no significant difference in the retention scores of male and female students in the study area. The mean and standard deviation of the retention score for private school students was 55.4±11.38, while that of the public school students was 51.93±20.41, with Bayes Factor of 4.03 approximately 4.0, which indicated a moderate evidence for the null hypothesis, which stated that there was no significant difference in the retention score of students from public and private secondary schools. Although the lockdown was inevitable, it is recommended that measures be taken to remedy the situation by providing necessary internet devices for the students, so that those from less financially capable homes will be afforded the opportunity to study online in order to help in their retention ability.

Extensiveness of the Procedures Followed by Science Teachers in Preparing School Based Assessment Tools for Science Subjects in Secondary Schools in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania

This study investigated the extensiveness of the procedures followed by science teachers in preparing SBA tools for science subjects in secondary schools in Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. The reviewed literature indicated that ambiguity in following procedures for developing SBA tools resulted in to lack of assessment formative aspects in SBA practices, and hence there was a need of establishing a way forward. Guided by complex adaptive system theory, it was important to examine and explore the manner in which procedures for developing SBA tools were adopted and used by science teachers in enhancing teaching and learning processes in secondary schools in the region. This mixed method study adopted an embedded model of the convergent mixed research design whereby quantitative and qualitative data sets were collected concurrently. The target population involved science teachers teaching physics, chemistry and biology subjects, students, academic masters/mistresses, head masters/mistresses, district education officers and zonal quality assurers. Stratified, convenient and purposeful sampling techniques were used to determine the study sample that consisted of 913 respondents. Questionnaires, interview guides, interview schedule, observation guide and document analysis guide were used to collect the required information. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and inferentially using Chi-square and one way ANOVA techniques. Tables, charts, narrations and direct quotations were used to present the study findings. The study concluded that despite science teachers’ efforts, enthusiasm and diligence in integrating various techniques, there are no general procedures followed in order to develop and administer SBA tools formatively. However, SBA practices are comparable in public and private schools. The study recommended education stakeholders to device clear guidelines for development and administration of SBA tools in preparing SBA tasks.

The teacher's competence in integrated teaching at secondary schools: A case study in Vietnam

Integration of teaching is described as the systematic arrangement of knowledge in teaching to combine or unify matters of subject isolated in the academic curriculum. The purpose of this study is to investigate Vietnamese teachers, principals, and vice-principals in secondary schools' awareness and the implementation of integrated teaching in Natural Science subjects in secondary schools, Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Participants completed survey questionnaires about the awareness about objectives for fostering quality integrated teaching, the objectives’ importance in integrated teaching, and the implementation of integrated teaching of Natural Science subjects. The results revealed that the integrated teaching in integrated teaching of Natural Science subjects was highly trained and well-implemented by secondary school teachers. The educational curriculum assists students in discovering, investigating comprehensive solutions, and examining various aspects of problems.

Hacking STEM - a solution to teaching natural science subjects in secondary schools for STEM-oriented education

In the new general school curriculum, the Natural Science subject is taught in an integrated way according to the STEM-oriented education. However, it is not simple to build a topic of teaching Natural Science subject towards STEM standards. In this context, Hacking STEM is one of the ideal solutions to solve the aforementioned problem. The paper focuses on analyzing what Hacking STEM is, the advantages and disadvantages of Microsoft Hacking STEM when applied in Vietnam, the process of using Microsoft Hacking STEM projects, analyzing a specific project, the relationship between these projects with the Natural Science subject in the new general school curriculum and with the subjects of Natural Sciences being taught in the current period.

Decolonising the science curriculum in England: Bringing decolonial science and technology studies to secondary education

Recent ‘decolonising the curriculum’ movements have called for Higher Education to rethink how it engages with diversity and colonialism in its lectures and syllabi. But what can these ideas mean for science subjects in secondary schools? Grounded on a decolonial perspective around the Science and Technology Studies (STS) field, this paper explores the implications from decolonial perspectives for school science by addressing the following questions: how can science teachers decolonise mainstream science curricula such as the National Curriculum in England with inputs from the STS field? And, what can this endeavour bring to the teaching and learning of science? To support this investigation, a collaborative curriculum development endeavour with a science teacher at a comprehensive school in London/United Kingdom is explored. This experience involved planning and teaching four science topics from the National Curriculum in England to a year 8 classroom (students aged 12–13) and a qualitative investigation was carried out through interviews, observations and informal conversations over the school year. Findings reveal that rather than competing for space in an already overcrowded curriculum, decolonial ideas can help teachers to enrich and better integrate different science topics, while also addressing contemporary concerns about critical thinking and representativeness in (science) education.

Appraisal of Environmental Related Issues in Social Science Subjects in Secondary Schools in Nigeria

Environmental conservation and management should be a vital component of our school curriculum as a way of investing in our youth so that they can be capable custodians of our environment for the sake of environmental management and conservation for sustainability. The youth have great potential which can only be ignored at our nation’s peril. Given that the environment is our greatest heritage, all measures including EE education must be taken serious to ensure that our youth have the correct attitude towards the environment since our very survival depends on this, this should be included in the school curriculum at all level. This research work investigates how environmental education can be used as a tool to create awareness and participation of secondary school students in environmental management and conversation.
 The research design used in this study was descriptive research design of survey type, to examine the curriculum content of secondary school on environmental conservation and management in secondary schools in Ondo State. The population for the study consists of all the secondary school students in Ondo state. Samples of forty-eight (480) students were drawn from ten (10) selected schools by using stratified random sampling technique. Forty-Eight (48) students were drawn from each of the selected schools. The research instrument used for this study was a self-constructed questionnaire for the students of the selected secondary schools. A sect of questionnaire was design, the questionnaire consisted of two sections; A and B: Section A contained the personal data while Section B contained items constructed in four point linkert scale. Findings from the study reveals among others that there are topics related to conservation in social sciences subjects in secondary schools, that majority of teachers are aware of this and also like teaching it. It therefore, recommend that curriculum planners should make topics on environmental issues be made compulsory at all levels of the education.

Administrators’ Awareness, Procurement and Management of Virtual Laboratories for Teaching Science Subjects in Secondary Schools: A Case Study

Previous studies have documented numerous benefits of using Virtual Labs (VLs) in promoting effective teaching of science subjects. The low level of teachers’ awareness, accessibility, and utilization of VLs in schools is also known. To the researchers’ knowledge, what is yet to be known is the extent of administrators’ awareness, procurement, and management of VLs in schools which have implications on teachers’ accessibility and utilization of VLs. This study adopted a descriptive survey design. A questionnaire (AAPMVLQ), with Cronbach alpha (α = .83), was administered to a sample of 662 secondary school principals and vice-principals drawn from 271 public schools in Cross River State Nigeria. Findings revealed that the level of administrators’ awareness, procurement, and management of VLs in secondary schools is very low. The low level of awareness was attributed to the poor supply of modern facilities to schools in the area of study. While the low levels of procurement and management were attributed to the low level of awareness of administrators. The conclusion and implications of these findings are that the teaching of science subjects at the secondary school level is witnessing a major setback and will continue if immediate actions are not taken to redress this issue. The poor academic performance of students in science subjects could also be liberated in the future if lessons are made more experiential by providing modern teaching aids such as VLs.

Professionalism, School Facilities, and Students’ Cognitive Performance in Science in Oyo State, Nigeria

Science plays a fundamental role in the contemporary society with the potential to improve lives gaining impetus to research works. The influence of professionalism and school facilities on students’ cognitive performance in science subjects in secondary schools in Oyo State was investigated. This was a descriptive survey research which was questionnaire based. The population of the study was all the public secondary schools (science teachers and students) in Oyo State, Nigeria. Purposive, cluster and simple random sampling techniques were used to select twenty public schools from each of the six educational zones in Oyo State making a total of one hundred and twenty schools, all science teachers (male and female) making a total of three hundred and sixty but three hundred and forty-two questionnaires were retrieved (95% of the sampled), and a total of eight thousand, two hundred and eighty science students from the selected schools were considered in the study. In each of the schools selected for the study, only science teachers were involved in the sample and the students that registered and wrote Biology, Chemistry and Physics WAEC examination of May/June 2018 in Oyo State, Nigeria. The data collected for the study were analyzed using descriptive statistics like percentage and mean, Multiple Regression analysis (ANOVA) and t-test. All the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that there was significant combined influence (F_1,340 = 16.786; p<0.05) of teachers’ professionalism (professional disposition, professional discipline, professional development and professional experience) and school facilities (well-equipped laboratories, library, classrooms and conveniences) on science students’ academic performance in Oyo State. It is recommended that professionalism should be reflected in the teaching of science subjects in secondary schools, training and re-training should be encouraged, and that the school environment should be made conducive for teaching-learning activities.

Practice and Challenges Facing Practical Work Implementation in Natural Science Subjects at Secondary Schools

Practical work is very crucial for teaching and learning process in school science and good quality of practical work implementation helps to develop pupils’ understanding of scientific processes and concepts. However, it has been shown that practical work in science subjects almost ignored or not effectively implemented in secondary schools in many countries of the world because of different factors. The main purpose of this article was to identify challenges facing implementing practical work in natural science subjects and its practice at secondary schools in different areas of the world based on different published works. The most recent and majorly the last 15 years that published in reputable journals have been critical reviewed and used as a direct source. Hence, the dominant factors frequently that indicated in most findings special in developing countries to implement practical activities of natural science subjects in secondary schools are problems related to school resource are: lab equipment and supply, laboratory manuals, laboratory rooms, class size and ICT access. The second ranked determinant is problem related to teachers and technicians related issues which include: teacher’s perception and motivation, teachers’ skills competence, teachers work experience, the laboratory technicians, job satisfaction and teachers work load. The other factors are exams and assessments, curriculum and educational administrations are identified as different factors. However, each of them affect the implementation of practical work with varies degree from school to school and also among different countries. The factors affecting in developed countries and developing are somewhat different. The implementation process of practical work in science education is still limited in Ethiopian schools and students perform poorly in science subjects. Keywords : Practical Work, Secondary Schools, practice, challenges. DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-31-01 Publication date: November 30 th 2019

Gender Disparity, Implications to Students' Academic Performance in Science Subjects in Secondary Schools in Buea Sub Division, Cameroon

Gender Disparity, Implications to Students' Academic Performance in Science Subjects in Secondary Schools in Buea Sub Division, Cameroon

“Đổi mới phương pháp dạy học và kiểm tra đánh giá theo hướng tiếp cận năng lực” thực trạng kiểm tra và đánh giá kết quả học tập theo hướng tiếp cận năng lực trong dạy học các môn khoa học tự nhiên ở các trường trung học cơ sở

Testing and assessing in secondary schools using the approach of competency in teaching is the orientation in general education for upcoming education innovations. Student assessment is essential to measure the progress and performance of individual students, plan further steps for the improvement of teaching and learning, and share information with relevant stakeholders. The article presents results of current status of testing and assessing study results of natural science subjects in secondary schools in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City including awareness and activity of testing and assessing using the approach of competency of teachers and students

Innovative practices in science education: a panacea for improving secondary school students’ academic achievement in science subjects in Nigeria

Innovative practices are those actions or activities engaged by man through which new inventions are introduced into the society. Innovative practices can be seen in the areas of; Health, Communication, Agriculture, Industry, Governance, Education etc. This present paper was developed to examine innovative practices in science education which was identified as a panacea for improving students’ academic achievement in science subjects in secondary schools in Nigeria. The expository write-up examined innovative practices in science education in the areas of; science education curriculum, science teaching and learning, and improvisation in science education. The paper pointed out that when teachers adopt innovative practices in science education, the students’ academic achievement are greatly enhanced. The paper concluded by suggesting among other things that science teachers should utilize innovative practices in their lesson delivery so as to enhance students’ active participation in the lesson which will bring about an improved academic achievement. Also, intensive in-service programs should be organized to get the science teachers acquainted with and trained on how to effectively utilize innovative practices for enhanced students’ academic achievement in science subjects.KEYWORDS: Academic achievement, curriculum innovation, innovative practices, science education

THE EFFECTS OF A WEB-BASED COMPUTER SIMULATION ON STUDENTS’ CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF RATE OF REACTION AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS CHEMISTRY

This study established the effects of a web-based computer simulation on the conceptual understanding of the rate of chemical reaction and attitude of 66 first year secondary school (SS1) students in Niger state, Nigeria towards chemistry. A pre-test and post-test experimental design was used during which students were randomly assigned into either the experimental or the control group. The ‘Rate of Reaction Knowledge Test’ (RRKT) and the ‘Chemistry Attitude Scale’ (CAS) was administered. Classroom observations and structured interviews with the students yielded additional qualitative data. The results showed that a statistically significant difference was found between the groups and that the web-based computer simulation improved students’ development of mental models on rate of reaction in comparison to the students in the experimental group. The students in the experimental groups also indicated that they liked using the software learning tools. The findings support the notion that chemistry teachers should be trained or re-trained in the use of web-based computer simulations for teaching chemistry. It places an onus on educational authorities to procure web-based simulations for use in teaching chemistry and other science subjects in secondary schools. Key words: attitude to chemistry, conceptual understanding, rate of reaction, web-based computer simulation.