Enhancement of Science Process Skills among the Grade Eight Learners in San Nicolas National High School

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

One of the most important goals of Science education is to teach students how to get involved in inquiry. In other words, students should integrate skills, knowledge, and attitudes to develop a better understanding of scientific concepts. Teachers must focus on teaching Science skills such as facts, concepts, and theories to encourage students in scientific investigation. Science process skills are skills we use to create information, think of a problem, and formulate results. We can make learners learn and understand their life by enabling the learners gain these important skills. Teachers are supposed to inculcate these Science process skills to gain higher order thinking skills. Hence, Science process skills should be assessed if there is an enhancement or improvement in an individual.

METHODS

The research made use of the Descriptive Method of Research utilizing a self-made questionnaire as the main data gathering instrument. Respondents were all Grade 8 learners enrolled in San Nicolas National High School, San Nicolas District.

RESULTS

The performance of the learners in Science was satisfactory after enhancing the Science process skills as assessed by the learners themselves. Understanding the information and skills conveyed during the different activities conducted was very satisfactorily performed by the learners. Collecting scientific information on their own was also satisfactorily performed by the learners. The findings also reveal that the enhancement of Science process skills was all slightly enhanced except in “Classification.” It was also exposed that the teaching strategies were satisfactorily utilized by the teachers in enhancing the different Science process skills. It was also shown that teaching strategies utilized by the teachers did not significantly affect the learners' performance in Science.

DISCUSSIONS

It is recommended that the teachers should be encouraged by the school head to improve the development of Science process skills through the provision of meaningful Science activities. The school heads should conduct frequent classroom observation to assist the teachers in adopting teaching strategies. As the Science process skills were slightly developed, the teachers should utilize strategies that are suited tothe learning styles of the learners. The teachers and school head should spend time to carefully study the proposed action plan so modifications can be made before its implementation.