Secondary Science Teachers Research Articles

Teaching Competence and Challenges Encountered in Secondary Science Instruction

The main purpose of this study was to assess the teaching competence of secondary science teacher instruction in terms of the teaching competence in educational qualification; eligibility; teaching experience; number of training attended; utilization of instructional support system such as laboratory apparatus, facilities and equipment; the teaching method employed and the relationship among these variables. The study was conducted in the big schools of the First Congressional District of Bohol. A total of 812 participants were identified comprising 72 secondary science teachers, 20 school principals and 720 students. The data were subjected to statistical treatment using the weighted mean to assess the teaching competence of science teachers as perceived by themselves, principals and students. The weighted mean was used to determine the educational qualification, performance rating, number of teaching experience, number of trainings attended, utilization of instructional support system such as laboratory apparatus, facilities and equipment and the teaching method employed by the science teacher. Analysis of Variance was used to determine the relationship of teaching competence between educational qualification, years of service, Bachelors and major Degree. Bonferonni and Holms Multiple Comparison test was used for years of service since ANOVA resulted to significantly different results. For the eligibility and performance rating, T-test for two independent means because they were only two (2) groups being compared. However, for the utilization of laboratory apparatus, facilities and other teaching resources and teaching methods employed, both use the correlation because the independent and dependent variables are continuous variables and that is, numerical scale was used. Findings showed that there is a significant relationship on teaching competence between number of teaching experience and teaching methods. This study found out that teaching methods and number of years in teaching affect the teaching competence. Hence, it is urged, that DepEd Personnel should utilize the result of this study and consider the proposed enhancement plan for the improvement of teaching competence in science instruction.

Inquiry‐based mobile learning in secondary school science education: A systematic review

AbstractRecent years have seen a growing call for inquiry‐based learning in science education, and mobile technologies are perceived as increasingly valuable tools to support this approach. However, there is a lack of understanding of mobile technology‐supported inquiry‐based learning (mIBL) in secondary science education. More evidence‐based, nuanced insights are needed into how using mobile technologies might facilitate students' engagement with various levels of inquiry and enhance their science learning. We, therefore, conducted a robust systematic literature review (SLR) of the research articles on mIBL in secondary school science education that have been published from 2000 to 2019. We reviewed and analysed 31 empirical studies (34 articles) to explore the types of mIBL, and the benefits and constraints of mIBL in secondary school science education. The findings of this SLR suggest new research areas for further exploration and provide implications for science teachers' selection, use and design of mIBL approaches in their teaching.

Cross-national investigation of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in the U.S. and South Korea: what proxy measures of teacher quality are related to PCK?

ABSTRACT Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is central to teachers’ professional knowledge impacting student learning and thus is considered a key attribute of teacher quality. Teacher quality is often indirectly examined by proxy measures such as degrees, certification, and teaching experience. To date, little is known how those proxy measures are related to teachers’ PCK levels. This study investigated which proxy measures of teacher quality best predict teachers’ PCK levels with 166 secondary science teachers from the U.S. and South Korea. Additionally, this study compared teachers’ PCK levels in both countries. A PCK survey consisting of 30 dichotomous and open-ended items was administered to secondary science teachers in a Midwest State in the U.S. and Seoul, South Korea. Eighty-five and eighty-one participants from the U.S. and South Korea, respectively, completed surveys. Statistical analyses indicated that biology teaching certification and teaching at the high school level were the most significant predictors of PCK total scores. No significant relationship between teachers’ gender or years of teaching experience and PCK total scores was found. Although Korean teachers exhibited higher PCK total scores than U.S. teachers, teachers from both countries similarly struggled to make connections between knowledge of students’ understanding and knowledge of instructional strategies.

Exploring Science Teachers' Lesson Plans by the Implementation of Intelligent Tutoring Systems in Blended Learning Environments

Recent technological developments have increasingly supported the science learning that presents artificial intelligence as part of Internet of Things (IoT). Its implementation can be carried out through Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) in blended learning environment. This technology was used to support 29 Indonesian junior secondary science teachers in creating innovative lesson plans, which are members of competencies improvement programs. The purpose of this study was to describe the lesson plans that contain an integrated science teaching, supported by ITS in blended learning. The lesson plan product was analyzed descriptively. This Qualitative method was used to determine its characteristics about curriculum integration, learning activity, technology integration, higher order thinking skills, and assessment process. The result revealed that most teachers have strongly represented aspects of these all required aspects. The lesson plan created reflects the ability of teachers who are creative and capable to integrate various contents in learning activities. Learning activities are student-centered oriented to higher-order thinking skills. Technological support applied in learning activities is also an aid for students to be more motivated, as well as the presentation of assessment aspects that are relevant to the learning objectives. There are still some inadequacies in these results to be discussed. Thus, the potential future researches for supporting the science teaching are highly welcomed.

In the Classrooms of Newly Hired Secondary Science Teachers: The Consequences of Teaching In-field or Out-of-field

ABSTRACT Science teachers must sometimes teach outside of their expertise, and this type of teaching assignment is referred to as being out-of-field. Among newly hired teachers, this type of assignment may have a detrimental impact in the development of their instruction. This study explored the classroom instruction of 17 newly hired teachers who were teaching both in-field and out-of-field in the physical sciences during their first three years. Data were collected from the teachers that consisted of four yearly observations of their instruction (a total of 12 observations), yearly interviews about their experiences (four total), and monthly interviews pertaining to their instruction (eight each year, for a total of 24). Narratives were constructed for each teacher that depicted their instruction over time, with reference to their teaching in-field or out-of-field subjects. The narratives were compared to one another to determine how their classroom instruction was shaped by teaching in-field or out-of-field. The findings of the study revealed that teaching out-of-field during the first year was an additional instructional challenge, which compounded the already difficult first few years of teaching. In addition, the findings revealed that out-of-field teaching resulted in isolated instructional scientific practices—regardless of the years of experience. These findings suggest that newly hired science teachers teaching out-of-field are more at risk of not cultivating their science instruction than are their in-field counterparts. The results of this study indicate that more research is needed about out-of-field teaching in science subjects.

Secondary science teachers’ use of discourse moves to work with student ideas in classroom discussions

ABSTRACT We investigated 10 secondary science teachers’ facilitation of classroom discussions to examine how they went beyond eliciting student ideas to working with student ideas to support sensemaking. We qualitatively analysed video records of instruction and focussed our analysis on discussions stemming from formative assessments embedded in learning progression-based curricular units. We found that discussions could be placed on a quality continuum from recitation, to emergent, to transitional, to productive based on the degree to which teachers went beyond eliciting student ideas. We also found that discussion quality reflected the type and distribution of discourse moves teachers employed. In the highest quality (or productive) discussions, teachers used a concerted array of discourse moves to elicit, mark, and build on student ideas, including pressing students for reasoning, highlighting similarities and differences among the ideas and reasonings presented, and connecting student ideas to the learning progression. Teachers used these discourse moves relatively evenly throughout productive discussions. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on ways teachers can effectively support student sensemaking. It illustrates how science teachers’ use of discourse moves can shape the quality of discussions and points to the potential of learning progressions as a tool to facilitate productive discussions.

Secondary Science Teachers’ Understandings of the Epistemic Nature of Science Practices

ABSTRACT The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) emphasize engaging students in science practices through which students can develop content, procedural, and epistemic knowledge of science. To accomplish this goal, science teachers must embed science content in authentic science practice. Successfully integrating content and practice will require significant epistemological and pedagogical shifts on the part of teachers. However, teachers cannot meaningfully achieve this integration if they, themselves, do not understand the epistemic underpinnings of the science practices. Given the lack of literature specifically addressing teachers’ epistemic understanding of science practices, we conducted a qualitative study to fill this gap in the literature. Data were collected using an open-ended online survey, and responses from 128 science teachers were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Our results indicate that relatively few teachers exhibited more nuanced epistemic understandings of scientific practice that extend beyond the rigid, linear scientific method presented in science textbooks. Teachers broadly believed that scientific inquiry must begin with a question, seldom cite methodological differences when comparing two experiments, frequently viewed models as teaching tools for representations and explanation, and hardly discussed computational thinking in terms beyond data analysis. More importantly, teachers viewed that scientific conclusions are heavily influenced by researchers’ perceptions and biases. To enhance science teachers’ sophisticated epistemic understanding of science, we highlight the need not only to engage teachers in authentic scientific inquiry experiences, but also to provide opportunities to learn how to effectively integrate science practices as a coherent system, especially computational thinking and models, into science lessons.

A INTERATIVIDADE NO PROCESSO DE ENSINO E APRENDIZAGEM DE CIÊNCIAS

O presente trabalho busca analisar através de uma abordagem qualitativa, tendo como técnica a pesquisa bibliográfica sobre o conceito de interação e interatividade do ponto de vista da implementação de metodologias ativas em sala de aula, que contribuam com a aprendizagem dos alunos e o desenvolvimento de habilidades intelectuais e específicas durante o Processo de Ensino e Aprendizagem das disciplinas de ciências no Ensino Médio. Faz-se uma breve estruturação analítica do termo Interação, de sua semântica em áreas de utilização como Física, Química, Biologia, Sociologia e Informática e a continuação se explana sobre o termo do termo interatividade no contexto do Processo de Ensino e Aprendizagem contemporâneo, permeado de metodologias ativas de ensino e aprendizagem. Destaca-se neste trabalho a intenção de explicar que a interatividade quando promovida no ramo da educação se dá em sua essência por uma efetiva interação entre os principais elementos do Processo de Ensino e Aprendizagem que são: o professor, seus alunos, as metodologias ativas e os recursos didáticos, buscando dialogar como essa facilidade de utilização das ferramentas tecnológicas presentes no cotidiano reflete no Processo de Ensino e Aprendizagem, o que por sua vez proporciona aos alunos, enquanto sujeitos de sua própria aprendizagem, a possibilidade da formação de conceitos científicos.

Secondary Science Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Implementation of Inquiry

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study is to understand secondary science teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and implementation of inquiry to provide information for the improvement of science education in a Midwestern U.S. state that has not yet adopted NGSS. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was selected to capture both a broad perspective of science teachers’ self-efficacy and inquiry implementation. Thirty-nine secondary science teachers participated in this study. The Teaching Science as Inquiry questionnaire (TSI) was employed, and the online survey software Qualtrics was used to collect quantitative data. For the qualitative phase, data collection consisted of 13 face-to-face, individual, audio-taped interviews. Findings demonstrate that there is a connection between the teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and implementation of all five essential features of inquiry. The teachers are also more confident in teaching science through teacher-centered inquiry than student-centered inquiry. Additionally, teachers’ background in terms of content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and experience is a variable that affects teachers’ self-efficacy and implementation of teaching science as inquiry.

Preservice Secondary Science Teachers’ Implementation of an NGSS Practice: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

ABSTRACT We investigated six preservice secondary science teachers’ implementation of reform-based science, in particular, their teaching of the Next Generation Science Standards’ (NGSS) science and engineering practice of using mathematics and computational thinking. A modified version of the Task Analysis Guide in Science served as our conceptual framework: It assesses both the integration of practices and content (i.e., the kind of thinking required), and the cognitive demand of tasks (i.e., the level of thinking required) in teachers’ lessons. We used this framework to qualitatively analyze our preservice teacher participants’ edTPA (teacher performance assessment) lessons—including their written commentaries, video-recorded lesson excerpts, and student work samples—for their implementation of the NGSS using mathematics and computational thinking practice. We examined (1) the integration of the mathematical content and practices outlined in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics within the target NGSS practice, and (2) the cognitive demand of the mathematics in relation to science and mathematical practices. We found that four of our six preservice teachers implemented lessons that were integrated and cognitively demanding: These participants used the mathematics to move students’ understanding of the science phenomena forward. However, the other two participants implemented lessons that integrated mathematical content and practices but were low in cognitive demand. We conclude with implications for how teacher education programs can better support preservice teachers’ implementation of lessons that are both integrated and cognitively demanding so as to promote students’ mathematical reasoning and scientific sensemaking.

Intersemiotic Complementarity in Namibian Physical Science Teachers’ Classroom Practice

The world we live in is increasingly multimodal, necessitating multiliteracy for learners to engage meaningfully with knowledge and skills. While verbal language is the primary medium for constructing, communicating and learning scientific knowledge and concepts, visuals can help learners to gain knowledge that they may not develop from verbal explanations alone. Verbal and visual semiotic modes have the potential to function in a complementary way, working together to strengthen meaning. This paper explores the dynamics of verbal–visual intersemiotic complementarity in the classroom practice of three junior secondary physical science teachers in the Oshana region of Namibia. It reports on a qualitative case study employing Systemic Functional Linguistics in the analysis of multimodal discourse. The results revealed how the content selections in the verbal and visual modes of the science teachers’ practice are related in terms of the meanings and their relationships through all five intersemiotic sense relations. The results also showed that some teachers consistently employed fewer visuals. The results further highlighted low frequency of the use of intersemiotic antonymy (opposites) and hyponymy (hierarchy) by each teacher compared with intersemiotic repetition, synonymy (synonyms) and meronymy (whole–part relationships). It is recommended that Namibian science teacher training programmes incorporate intersemiotic complementarity in order to help teachers harness the full potential of this approach.

What affects Japanese science teachers’ pedagogical perspectives in lower secondary schools? A case study of international comparison between Hiroshima (Japan) and Leeds (England)

ABSTRACT Science curriculum is delivered to students through a controlled process at different levels and in various contexts. Although it has been said that science teachers’ viewpoints and attitudes influence the interpretation of curricula, this study is interested in factors affecting their pedagogical perspectives, such as their beliefs and teaching practices. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess the factors involved in forming lower secondary science teachers’ pedagogical perspectives in Japan. To achieve this objective, we conducted a survey of lower secondary science teachers in the city of Hiroshima in Japan and the city of Leeds in England (we do not intend to imply that Leeds is representative of all of England). We then examined their pedagogical perspectives both quantitatively and comparatively. Based on the empirical research data, we discussed science teachers’ pedagogical perspectives in the context of proximal fields of study, and with reference to research literature more closely related to the present investigation. Through empirical and theoretical analyses, we could confirm the influence of the so-called ‘sociocultural contexts’ composed both of the social environments that act indirectly and the cultural contexts that act directly. In other words, we concluded that sociocultural contexts imbued in Japanese society serve as universal elements and are accepted implicitly by Japan’s science teachers. These customs serve to regulate science teachers’ pedagogical perspectives in Japan.

The status of and challenges facing secondary science teaching in Tanzania: a focus on inquiry-based science teaching and the nature of science

ABSTRACT Although Inquiry-Based Science Teaching (IBST) and the Nature of Science (NOS) are well documented as important aspects of teaching science subjects in schools, little research has been undertaken to understand how these aspects feature in secondary school science curricula in Tanzania. Thus, this study examined the extent to which IBST and NOS are featured in secondary school curriculum documents for science subjects. In addition, the challenges facing the integration of IBST and NOS in science teaching in Tanzanian secondary schools are highlighted. By analysing five curriculum documents and the Basic Education Statistics in Tanzania, the study established that IBST and NOS are neither formally recognised as important aspects of science education, nor given due attention in curriculum documents. Moreover, a lack of coherence among various elements of the curriculum, which can affect the integration of IBST and NOS, was observed. Finally, it was established that several challenges such as larger class sizes, insufficient time allocation and overemphasis on content coverage need to be addressed so that IBST and NOS could be fully integrated into science teaching in Tanzania. The study does not only highlight the theoretical trends related to IBST and NOS, but also discusses their theoretical and practical implications for science teaching.

Enacting Co-Designed Socio-Scientific Issues-Based Curriculum Units: A Case of Secondary Science Teacher Learning

ABSTRACT Secondary science teachers participated in a socio-scientific issues (SSI) professional development (PD) during which they co-designed SSI curriculum units. In this qualitative multiple case study, we followed a sub-set of eight teachers who enacted their SSI units in their classrooms and agreed to participate in the study. Clarke and Hollingsworth’s Interconnected Model of Professional Growth served as a theoretical framework. Primary data sources include one interview at the end of the PD, and a post-enactment interview. Field notes of the PD and the SSI curriculum units were secondary data sources. Data analysis resulted in the identification of three teacher profiles: Embracers, Dismissers, and Explorers. In teaching their SSI units, the Embracers foregrounded the SSI, maintained a focus on their SSI throughout the unit, made modifications to increase relevancy during the unit, and included an SSI culminating activity. The Dismissers equated the SSI approach to using a current topic to introduce a unit and gave little or no attention to the social dimensions. The Explorers used the SSI to introduce their units, valued and included limited social dimensions of the issue, but did not enact a SSI culminating activity. For each of the profiles, we elaborate their teaching beliefs, learning in the PD, and perceived salient outcomes of their SSI curriculum enactment. PD implications include explicit attention to teacher beliefs, working with groups of teachers from the same school, and the need to develop an array of instructional and assessment tools to support SSI teaching.

Combined Influence of Qualification, Experience and Gender Distribution on Quality of Teaching Mathematics

Teachers of Mathematics in Kenya have attended in-service program called Strengthening of Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education (SMASSE) INSET for the purpose of enhancing their skills and improving quality of teaching. However, this has not been translated into improved performance as expected. However there has been persistent poor performance in Mathematics in secondary schools in Kisumu County as revealed by the Kenya Certificate of secondary Examination results for the period 2012-2019 during which the mean score dropped from 34.00 to 20.45.This may deny students admission to scientific and technological professions at university due to low performance in the subject.. The purpose of this study was to establish combine influence of teacher qualification, experience and gender distribution on quality of teaching mathematics. The study was conducted in public secondary schools in Kisumu County and employed descriptive and correlational designs in which the dependent variable was quality of teaching mathematics and independent variables were teachers' qualification, experience and gender distribution. The study sample was 70 teachers representing 30% of the population of teachers found in the category of sub-county schools. Data collection instruments was Lesson Observation Guide (LOG). Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to determine the strength and direction of the relationship after which regression analysis was run to show the combined influence of teacher qualification and experience on quality of teaching mathematics. The findings established that 56 teachers have a qualification of B.Ed. /PGDE,48 teachers have experience of over 6 years, majority of teachers (47) are male, quality of teaching mathematics was rated as average. Teacher experience was the most significant variable with a correlation coefficient of .261 at the .05 level (2-tailed) while gender was insignificant at a p-value of .452. When regression analysis was run to show relationship between qualification, experience with quality of teaching mathematics, ANOVA produced a p-value of .039 which implies that the two variables are significant. Based on the results it is advisable that teachers with Master's degree to work hand in hand with the other teachers and those with experience of over 10 years to be assigned to be head of mathematics in their department to advise those with difficulties.

Epistemological Base of Rural Secondary School Science Teachers: A Case of Rakai District in Uganda

The study was an investigation of the Epistemological Base of Rural Secondary Science Teachers in Uganda, a case of Rakai district. Epistemology enquires into the possibility, nature, origin, scope, validity, and limits of human knowledge. The problem of the study was poor performance of students in sciences in the rural secondary schools in Ugandan Certificate Examinations (LJCE). The central point was to find out the philosophical beliefs of the rural secondary science teachers about how the educators come to know anything. A non-experimental research design was employed in the study. The research was carried out in ten selected schools using purposive sampling technique. Regarding data collection, the researcher administered fifty (50) questionnaires to fifty (50) teachers; interviewed ten teachers and carried out classroom observations of ten live lessons. The findings of the study revealed that teacher’s conceptions about mode of knowing falls under three sources of knowledge namely, Authority, here knowledge is acquired through consulting experts in their fields, Sense-perceptual experience, this involves usage of empirical instruments and Reason, where the logical process is employed to acquire knowledge. The conclusion was that beliefs about source of knowledge have significant bearing on the methods of teaching. Many rural science teachers employ teacher centered method of teaching. It was clear that teachers assume that learners do not have knowledge; hence the Bucket theory of mind is central in their teaching learning process. Many teachers appeared to do things the way they w re taught, in other wards a number of rural science teachers tended to be doing activities whose underlying assumptions they were not clear of. A functional approach to the teaching of Philosophy in Educational programs is recommended. Keywords: Epistemology, science, teaching. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-19-02 Publication date: July 31 st 2020

Is top-down CLIL justified? A grounded theory exploration of secondary school Science teachers’ experiences

ABSTRACT The research reported in this paper explored secondary Science teachers’ experiences in a large-scale and top-down CLIL initiative where schools and teachers had little agency in implementing educational change. Through a grounded theory approach, analysis of data suggests that teachers’ insufficient English language proficiency and the lack of agency were major challenges for participating teachers. Findings indicate that teachers were not aware of CLIL pedagogy, and did not believe that under the existing conditions, a subject can be taught through English. Struggling to save face in the obscure situation, teachers sought support from students. Although they were not ready to lose authority and control over the teaching process, they had to relinquish some of their power to students due to their superior English language skills.

Critical relationships in managing students\u2019 emotional responses to science (and evolution) instruction

BackgroundIf an instructional environment that is conducive to learning generally requires the development of good student–teacher relationships, then a classroom atmosphere of trust is an especially important consideration when we engage students in the teaching and learning of evolution. Emotional scaffolding, therefore, is crucial to the successful teaching and learning of evolution. Quinlan (Coll Teach 64:101–111, 2016) refers to four key relationships necessary to construct this scaffolding—students with teachers being merely one of the four key relationships comprising a comprehensive emotional scaffolding—the others being students with subject matter, students with other students, and students with their developing selves. Our purpose here is to examine the types of student emotional responses that secondary science teachers reported as emerging in their science classes and categorize students’ behavioral responses as being representative of the four key relationships, identified by Quinlan (Coll Teach 64:101–111, 2016), as necessary for promoting both enhanced learning and individual student growth.ResultsThe results of this current study are highly encouraging in that respect. Each of the eight teachers were able to identify the development of each of the four key relationships identified by Quinlan as crucial for instructional success. In addition, where individual teacher profiles were statistically different than the aggregate profile across all eight teachers, it was due to a trade-off in emphasis of the development of one relationship in preference to another.ConclusionThe most salient recommendations to manage emotional responses to evolution instruction are to: (1) Foster relationships that engage students in positive conversations; (2) Construct relationships in an appropriate sequence—Teacher–Student and Subject–Student first, followed by student–student and finally nurturing students with developing selves; (3) Use non-threatening assessments; and (4) Allow students to privately express their honest feelings about the science being learned.

Pre-service Science Teachers’ Reflections of Secondary Science Education: A Case Study of a University of Technology

This non-experimental exploratory survey examined pre-service science teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and professional identity as influenced by their secondary school years learning experiences. A convenience sample of 60 undergraduate science student teachers participated in this study. An open-ended questionnaire on secondary school science experiences survey regarding the influences of school years’ learning experiences on their current pedagogic practices. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and qualitative data were thematically analyzed. The findings suggest that pre-service science teachers perceive their self-efficacy as science teachers to be influenced by the teaching approaches used by their secondary school teachers to target learners’ interests which include making science relevant to life and targeting learners’ misconceptions in science. Similarly, they perceive the development of their professional identity to be influenced by their prior experiences as learners and observing their secondary school teachers’ affective domain including their enthusiasm and positive attitude toward science. Recommendations are made to teacher education programs to promote use of reflective journals.

Comparing Classroom Competence and Attitude between SESEMAT Trained and Non-SESEMAT Trained Teachers in Eastern Uganda

This paper presents a comparison of professional competence and attitude between teachers trained in Secondary Science and Mathematics Teachers’ (SESEMAT) Programme and those not trained in it in Eastern Uganda. The study was based on a realization that though the government provides facilitation to enable teachers undergo training through the SESEMAT programmes, teachers seem not to keenly use SESEMAT methodologies. The study was guided by two objectives: to establish whether there are differences in professional competences between SESEMAT- and non-SESEMAT- trained teachers in Uganda, and to determine whether there are differences in attitude towards teaching between SESEMAT-trained teachers and other teachers of science and mathematics. The study employed semi-experimental design. Ten secondary schools were sampled and 40 teachers were observed during lessons and also given questionnaires. Data analysis was done using the independent sample t-tests to compare the classroom professional competences and attitudes between SESEMAT-trained and non-SESEMAT-trained teachers. It was concluded that given enough time, teachers would implement SESEMAT competences / skills taught during the INSETS. The study recommended that more teachers should be encouraged to attend the SESEMAT INSETS to be able to understand the competences required during the delivery of lessons. This may help improve on the number of quality passes at Ordinary level in science subjects.