TEACHER-PUPIL PROJECT COLLABORATION, HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES AND PUPILS’ LEARNING OUTCOMES IN BASIC SCIENCE IN THE IBADAN METROPOLIS

Abstract

Basic science lays the foundation for future science learning and career in sciencerelated disciplines. Reports have shown that pupils’ learning outcomes (Basic Science Process Skills - BSPS; Basic Science Achievement - BSA and Attitude to Basic Science - ABS) in primary schools in the Ibadan metropolis are poor, and these are attributable to instructional methods adopted by the teachers. Previous studies have established that primary school science teachers largely deployed direct instructions more than pupil-centred strategies, such as Teacher-Pupils Project Collaboration (TPPC) and Hands-on Activities (HoA) strategies. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the effects of TPPC and HoA strategies on pupils’ BSPS, BSA and ABS in the Ibadan metropolis. It also examined the moderating effects of gender and school type. Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development and Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theories served as the framework, while the pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design with a 3x2x2 factorial matrix was adopted. Three Local Government Areas (LGAs) were randomly selected from the Ibadan metropolis. One public and one private school with qualified and professional science teachers were purposively selected from each LGA. The schools were randomly assigned to TPPC (54), HoA (58) and conventional (49) groups. The instruments were Basic Science Process Skills Rating Scale (0.73), Basic Science Achievement Test (0.83), Questionnaire on Pupils’ Attitude to Basic Science (0.81) and instructional guides. The treatment lasted 11 weeks. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Analysis of covariance and Scheffe’s Post-hoc test at 0.05 level of significance. Majority of the participants were male (52.8%) and 52.2% were from private schools. The treatment had a significant main effect on pupils’ BSPS (F(2;148) = 5.38; partial 2 = 0.07). The participants in TPPC had the highest mean score (9.63), followed by those in control (8.45) and the HoA (8.36) groups. The treatment had a significant main effect on pupils’ BSA (F(2;148) = 3.54; partial 2 = 0.05). The pupils in HoA had the highest basic science achievement mean score (12.88), followed by those in TPPC (12.46) and the control (11.09) groups. School type had a significant main effect on pupils’ BSPS (F(1;148) = 39.65; partial 2 = 0.21). The participants from private schools had a higher BSPS mean score (9.99) than those from public schools (7.63). School type also had a significant main effect on pupils’ BSA (F(1;148) = 42.04; partial 2 = 0.22). The pupils from private schools had a higher BSA mean score (14.10) than those from public schools (10.18). The treatment had no significant main effect on pupils’ ABS. Gender had no significant main effect on pupils’ BSPS and BSA. The two-way and three-way interaction effects were not significant. Teacher-pupil project collaboration, more than hands-on activities instructional strategies, enhanced pupils’ basic science process skills, while hands-on activities enhanced basic science achievement than teacher-pupil project collaboration among primary school pupils in the Ibadan metropolis with particular attention to school type. Therefore, basic science teachers should adopt both strategies.