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Relationship between physics laboratory environment and student outcomes of secondary three students
Author
Lee, Hon Yen
Supervisor
Yap, Kueh Chin
Abstract
This study investigated the relationship between psychosocial environment of the physics laboratory with attitude, achievement and process skills. The differences in gender perception of their psychosocial environment was also investigated.
The purposes of this study are (i) to study the differences in male and female students' actual and preferred perception of their physics laboratory environment, (ii) to study the difference in person-environment fit between male and female students, (iii) to study the relationship between students' actual and preferred perception and their cognitive and affective outcomes and (iv) to study the relationship between person-environment fit and cognitive and affective outcomes.
The data used in the study was obtained from a sample of 216 secondary three express students from four secondary schools. Intact classes were chosen to minimize disruption of curriculum time. Secondary three students were used as they have undergone Lower Secondary Science laboratory work in Secondary One and Two and eight months of Physics laboratory work in Secondary Three.
To measure the laboratory psychosocial environment, the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (SLEI) was used. The instrument was modified to assess the physics laboratory environment. It consists of 35 questions, 5-point Likert type in 5 sub-scales, namely, Student Cohesive, Open-Endedness, Integration, Rule Clarity and Material Environment. Both the Actual and the Preferred versions were used to gauage the psychosocial environment of the laboratory classes. To measure physics achievement, a 30 multiple-choice items with 4 options Physics Achievement Test was constructed. For attitude measures, the Attitude To Physics Scale was used. It consists of 35 items , 5-point Likert-type in 6 sub-scales. To measure the process skills of the students, the Integrated Process Skills Test (IPST) was used. It consist of 36 multiple-choice questions with 4 options.
The following are findings in the study:
1. For both male and female students, the lowest mean environment score came from the Open-Endedness subscale. The low mean score clearly confirm the picture that physics laboratory classes typically have a very low level of open-endedness. These results also confirm past research and reinforce and international pattern in which science laboratory classes in schools are dominated by closed-ended activities.
2. Female students perceived their laboratory work to be more integrated with their theory lessons in class but they perceived their laboratory classes to be more open-ended than their male counterpart. Female students preferred more student cohesiveness and laboratory equipment than male students. The female preferred environment score has a greater difference with their actual environment score compared to the male students suggesting that the female students are ease in the physics laboratory than the male students.
3. No significant relationship was found between achievement in physics and psychosocial environment scales which is in line with past research. The Open-Ended and the Integration scales relate significantly with the Process skills Test. The Open-Ended, Integration and the Rule Clarity scales relate significantly with Attitude to Physics scores.
4. The Open-Ended person-environment fit scale relates significantly to the Process skills Test and the Rule Clarity person-environment fit scale relates significantly to attitude to Physics scores.
The findings provided some indicators to curriculum developers, teachers and educators for necessary follow up action to improve the laboratory activities to encourage more open-ended activities. The psychosocial environment is important as it affects the student outcome and steps must be taken to improve the student-environment fit because when students are comfortable in their environment, they learn better.
The purposes of this study are (i) to study the differences in male and female students' actual and preferred perception of their physics laboratory environment, (ii) to study the difference in person-environment fit between male and female students, (iii) to study the relationship between students' actual and preferred perception and their cognitive and affective outcomes and (iv) to study the relationship between person-environment fit and cognitive and affective outcomes.
The data used in the study was obtained from a sample of 216 secondary three express students from four secondary schools. Intact classes were chosen to minimize disruption of curriculum time. Secondary three students were used as they have undergone Lower Secondary Science laboratory work in Secondary One and Two and eight months of Physics laboratory work in Secondary Three.
To measure the laboratory psychosocial environment, the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (SLEI) was used. The instrument was modified to assess the physics laboratory environment. It consists of 35 questions, 5-point Likert type in 5 sub-scales, namely, Student Cohesive, Open-Endedness, Integration, Rule Clarity and Material Environment. Both the Actual and the Preferred versions were used to gauage the psychosocial environment of the laboratory classes. To measure physics achievement, a 30 multiple-choice items with 4 options Physics Achievement Test was constructed. For attitude measures, the Attitude To Physics Scale was used. It consists of 35 items , 5-point Likert-type in 6 sub-scales. To measure the process skills of the students, the Integrated Process Skills Test (IPST) was used. It consist of 36 multiple-choice questions with 4 options.
The following are findings in the study:
1. For both male and female students, the lowest mean environment score came from the Open-Endedness subscale. The low mean score clearly confirm the picture that physics laboratory classes typically have a very low level of open-endedness. These results also confirm past research and reinforce and international pattern in which science laboratory classes in schools are dominated by closed-ended activities.
2. Female students perceived their laboratory work to be more integrated with their theory lessons in class but they perceived their laboratory classes to be more open-ended than their male counterpart. Female students preferred more student cohesiveness and laboratory equipment than male students. The female preferred environment score has a greater difference with their actual environment score compared to the male students suggesting that the female students are ease in the physics laboratory than the male students.
3. No significant relationship was found between achievement in physics and psychosocial environment scales which is in line with past research. The Open-Ended and the Integration scales relate significantly with the Process skills Test. The Open-Ended, Integration and the Rule Clarity scales relate significantly with Attitude to Physics scores.
4. The Open-Ended person-environment fit scale relates significantly to the Process skills Test and the Rule Clarity person-environment fit scale relates significantly to attitude to Physics scores.
The findings provided some indicators to curriculum developers, teachers and educators for necessary follow up action to improve the laboratory activities to encourage more open-ended activities. The psychosocial environment is important as it affects the student outcome and steps must be taken to improve the student-environment fit because when students are comfortable in their environment, they learn better.
Date Issued
1996
Call Number
QC30 Lee
Date Submitted
1996