Abstract:
The study is an action research aimed at assessing the effects of student centred approach on basic practical skills of pre-service teachers at OLA College of
Education – Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana. A class of forty female pre service teachers were used for the study. The main purpose of the study was to adopt
the student-centred approach which is a teaching strategy that attempts to assist
students to discover their own knowledge through an activity to acquire basic
practical skills for teaching at the basic school level. Practical lessons and teacher made test were the instruments used to assess the impact of the student-centred
approach on the pre-service teachers after they had gone through five main lessons on
basic practical skills in science. Data collected from the study was analysed
qualitatively and conclusions were drawn. Notable among the findings of the study
was that, the student centred approach allowed students to have equal opportunity to
interact and manipulate teaching and learning materials. The students were able to cut,
mount, draw and label given specimen among other practical skills. In view of the
findings, it was concluded that it is possible to improve students’ basic practical skills
through the use of student-centred approach since it strengthens students’ motivation.
The recommendation made was that all pre-service science-teachers in all colleges of
education be given a one semester course training on basic practical skills in science
in order to equip them for the teaching of science.
Description:
A dissertation in the Department of Science Education, Faculty of Science Education
submitted to the School of Graduates Studies, University of Education, Winneba, in
partial fulfilment of the requirements for award of Master of Education (Science
Education) degree.
APRIL, 2014