Abstract:
The study investigated the relationship between College of Education students’ entry
grades in integrated science and their end-of-course completion grades in science-related
courses (biology, chemistry, and physics) at college. The explanatory sequential mixed
method design was used in this study. The target population was the 2018/2019 batch of
the Bachelor of Education Primary Education programme and tutors in the Science
Education Department at Atebubu College of Education. A sample size of one hundred and
twenty-seven (127) comprising one hundred and twenty-four (124) students and three
tutors (3) were purposively selected for the study Three (3) College tutors were also
involved in the study. A Checklist and interview guide were used in gathering data for the
study. Frequencies, percentages, Pearson’s Moment Correlation, and themes were used to
analyse the data collected. The results showed a weak positive correlation between the
students' integrated science entry grades from the West African Senior School Certificate
Examination and general biology, chemistry, and physics end-of-course completion grades
at the College. Also, the type of senior high school that a student attended played a role but
not a major role in affecting their future academic performance in science-related courses
in College. The study therefore concludes that the type of senior high school the students
attended and their integrated science entry grades did not have a significant influence on
their end-of-course completion grades in science-related courses at the College. It is
recommended that college management should not place too much emphasis on the type of
senior high school the students attended and their entry grades during their admissions
because it has little impact on their academic success at college. But they should rather put
priority on infrastructure and other amenities; availability of teaching learning resources;
teacher personality, competency, experience, and efforts; motivation; and student
behaviour/truancy which are the various subsets of personal, teacher, and institutional
factors since they were identified as key influencers of students’ academic performance
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Science Education, Faculty of Science Education
submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, in Partial Fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Science Education)
in the University of Education, Winneba
