Enhancement of School Students’ Interest in, and Attitude toward Science by Training Their Teachers on Effective Delivery of Practical Activities

Year 2018, Volume: 9 , 52 - 58, 18.08.2018

Ziad Said Azzam Abu-hannieh Elina Adam

Abstract

In this paper we report on enhancing students’ attitude toward and
interest in science by training teachers on Effective Practical Delivery in science.
Teachers from 17 schools in Qatar, among them 24 secondary school teachers
teaching grade 11, and 11 preparatory school teachers teaching grade 8, were enrolled in two, independent, extended
training courses (four hours per week for 16 to 18 weeks) on delivery of
practical science lessons. Each course was designed to train teachers on
delivering practical activities aligned with science curriculum standards, in a
way that allowed teachers to practice each activity during the training before
delivery to their students. Teachers would then reflect on their teaching and
discuss feedback with their trainers and colleagues in the subsequent training
session.Evaluation of the program was based on Trainees’ performances, student
performance and measurement of students’ attitudes toward science before and
after training. Results suggest a notable and significant change in the skills,
knowledge and confidence of teachers in delivery of practicals in their science
classes as reflected by results from tests and observations. This paper will
focus on the measurement of secondary school trainees’ students’ attitude
toward science before and after training. 
Main findings using t-test show:

·        
Very significant increase
in attitude of trainees’ students after training (p <0.0001)

·        
No significant change in
control schools’ students over the same period (p 0.78 - 0.86)

·        
Male students show higher
attitude & higher self-efficacy than female students toward practical part
of science and future science career but no significant difference in attitude
toward science in general.

Keywords

Science, Practical, Delivery, Curriculum Standards, Training

References

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