Educational Assessment and Pedagogy

Instructional Materials as Correlates of Students’ Academic Performance in Biology in Senior Secondary Schools in Osun State

An Investigation into Physics Teaching in Senior High Schools

This study sought to examine the activities that go on in physics classrooms in Senior High Schools in Ghana.Specifically, the study sought to investigate the pattern of interaction and instructional methods used for teachingphysics and level of coverage of physics syllabus. The survey design was employed for the study in whichquestionnaire was used for data collection. Participants for the study were physics teachers and final year physicsstudents. Findings from the study suggest that classroom interaction seemed to be mostly teacher-centered andtended not to support inquiry-based teaching and learning which is noted for promoting conceptual change andenhance performance. It is recommended among other things that physics teachers should be exposed to efficientpedagogies of teaching and presenting information to learners. The traditional way of teaching where teacher decideson what goes on in the classroom has a limited space in the 21st century science classrooms, particularly physics.

Concept Mapping Strategy: An Effective Tool for Improving Students’ Academic Achievement in Biology

The study investigated the use of concept mapping teaching method on secondary school students’ academic achievement in biology. Two hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance guided the study. The design of the study was quasi-experimental design with 122 Senior Secondary students selected purposively from two senior secondary schools in Adamawa state. Instrument used for data collection was an achievement test tagged Biology Students’ Achievement Test (BSAT) adapted from WAEC tests 2005 to 2010. The instrument was content validated by three experts and Cronbach alpha formula was used for testing its reliability. The reliability coefficient of 0.78 was obtained. The treatment lasted for six weeks and data were analyzed using one-way Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The result revealed that, concept mapping method enhanced students’ academic achievement in biology. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between male and female students in the experimental group. It was recommended that, concept mapping method should be incorporated in the teaching of biology for meaningful learning and that workshops should be organized for in-service and practicing teachers on how to use concept mapping strategy.

TIMSS 2011 Science Assessment Results: A Review of Ghana’s Performance

This paper reviews Ghana’s performance in the TIMSS 2011 survey in comparison with other African and some highperforming countries which participated in the TIMSS assessment. Students’ achievement in the science contentareas assessed were summarized and teacher preparation constructs of teachers of the students who took part in theassessment explored with the aim of finding any possible linkage between teacher preparation and studentsachievement. Two set of reviews were done. First, results on the eighth grade (JHS 2) science content achievement inbiology, chemistry, physics, and earth science for Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia were compared. The second reviewcompared how Ghana prepares her teachers to Finland and Singapore who were among the first five performingcountries on the TIMSS 2011 assessment. Some mismatch was identified in terms of teacher preparation andstudents’ achievement in the case of Ghana. Ghanaian teachers scored relatively high on most of the constructs thatwere measured by the TIMSS report under teacher preparation but these were not reflected in the students’achievement. In view of this, it is recommended that other indicators such as classroom instruction, resources forteaching science, and school climate are investigated with the aim of finding any other underlying factors that couldaccount for the mismatch between Ghanaian students’ achievement on the TIMSS science assessment and teachers’preparation.

Assessment of students performances in biology: Implication for measurements and evaluation of learning

Scienceeducation is believed to be a vital tool for individual and societal development at large. The persistent low levels of students’ achievement in sciences at the various public examinations in Nigeria have continued to draw the attention of major stakeholders in education. This study examined academic achievement of Senior Secondary School students in biology and gender difference in students’ achievement was examined. Ex-post facto design of descriptive research was adopted for the study. A proforma was used to collect data from a sample of two hundred (200) students, selected using stratified random sampling procedure from the Science secondary schools in Kano state Nigeria. The data collected were the students’ performances in biology achievement tests. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and independent-sample t-test. Overall results showed that the test internal consistency reliability is low and unsatisfactory; the students performed below average (M=47.02, SD=16.493 (47%). Similarly, gender difference exists in biology performance with another significant difference between performance of urban and rural school students. The study concludes that, biology test used in Kano state qualifying examinations to assess students potential ability in biology is not a reliable measurement tool and that, academic performance of students in biology is unsatisfactory and evidence of differential performance between gender and schools locations. The implication for measurements and evaluation of learning as well as recommendations has been discussed.

Effect of the 5E Instructional Model on Physics Academic Achievement Based on Gender and Students’ Ability: A Case of Berekum Senior High Schools in Ghana

This study examined the effect of the 5E instructional model on Physics students’ academic achievement based on gender and students’ ability. The study employed a quasi-experimental design using the pre-test, post-test and delayed-post administered instruments to the experimental and control groups. The study involved two instructional strategies (5E instructional model and traditional teaching). Instruments known as Physics Students’ Academic Achievement Test (PSAAT) and Delayed Post Test (DPT) were used to gather data for the study. Mean scores, standard deviations and normalized gains were used to analyses data while ANCOVA and independent-sample t-test were used to test the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. A significant difference was found between Physics students instructed with the 5E instructional model and those taught through the traditional classroom. Similarly, a significant difference was found between Physics high-ability student in the 5E instructional group and those in the traditional group. However, a non-significant difference was found between Physics low-ability students in the experimental and the control groups. Similarly, a non-significant different was found among gender concerning pre-test and post-test means scores. However, a significant difference was found among gender in favor for the male students. The study recommended that Physics teachers wanting to improve their students learning outcomes should adopt the 5E instructional model.

Role of Practical Activity Method in Improving Understanding and Problem-Solving Skills of Physics Students

The objective of this study was to use the practical activity method to improve the understanding and problem-solving skills of physics students at School A in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The study used 29 students in the Form 1. Sc. 1 class, of which 27 were boys and two were girls. The instruments used to gather data were achievement tests and observations. Simple statistical methods such as pre-intervention lessons were designed and administered to find the reasons students had problems understanding physics concepts and their inability to solve problems in physics. Several activities were undertaken to enhance students’ understanding and problem-solving skills. This research revealed that the use of practical activity-based methods in the teaching and learning process of physics enhanced students’ performance remarkably. The findings from this research showed that students’ performance was elevated during the series of lessons administered. The students got a better understanding of concepts and were able to make real-life applications of concepts. This subsequently increased their contributions and participation during lessons. Conclusions were drawn and suggestions were made for teachers who are faced with similar problems of improving students’ performance in physics.