Integrating indigenous knowledge in science instruction and its effect on students’ performance and attitudes in selected integrated science topics

Abstract

The importance of indigenous knowledge in the classroom is gaining relevance among researchers and teachers yet little research has examined its effect on students‟ performance and attitudes in integrated science. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of indigenous knowledge on students‟ performance and attitudes on selected topics in integrated science. The research was action research specifically designed to answer the three research questions that guided the study. The population of the study comprised all the students in Namong Senior High School with a purposively selected intact class of 52 students as the sample. Two instruments namely the Science Achievement tests and Questionnaire were used to gather the data for the study. The data gathered from instruments were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that participants of the study generally demonstrate more positive attitudes coupled with increase in performance after the intervention. The findings of the study provide some insights and recommendations to Namong Senior High School teachers on integrating indigenous knowledge into science instruction to promote effective teaching and learning coupled with positive attitudes and enhanced performance in science.