The use of science process skills to facilitate student’s’ learning of physics

Abstract

The main purpose of the study was to give suggestions to facilitate student‟s‟ learning of physics using science process skills at Bolgatanga Senior High School in the Upper East Region of Ghana. This was to be achieved through the use of group activity approach and the organisations of laboratory practical activities. The study was an Action Research that used fifty five second year students out of a population of 680 physics students in the school based on purposive sampling procedure. The sampled students were further divided into 11 groups with five members each through simple random sampling technique. A series of practical activities were conducted to find out the students‟ level of understanding of the science process skills before group activity approach and laboratory practical activities were used as an intervention. The results revealed that there was an improvement in the performance of the students as well as their content knowledge in physics as a result of the use of science process skills. It is therefore, appropriate that science teachers prepare their science instructions such that equal opportunities are given to all students under their care. As a result there is a need for teacher‟s educational institutions to reinforce science process skills in the science teaching and learning in their science lessons. Additionally, science process skills should be employed by all physics teachers in the instruction of physics concept