A Case Study of Secondary Schools in Kenya: Is Physics Achievement an Interplay of Attitudes and Strategy?

Abstract

Secondary school students' achievement in Physics has been declining despite the pivotal role played by industrial development. Declining performance has been linked to various factors. The different strategies used in teaching Physics coupled with learners' attitudes have been reported to affect students' achievement in Physics. Based in Nyeri County, the study assessed the interplay between collaboration and attitude on secondary school students' achievement in Physics. The Solomon Four group quasi-experimental design was used. A sample of 173 form-four students in mixed-day secondary schools in Nyeri County participated in the study. The sample was obtained through purposive sampling to obtain a list of mixed-day secondary schools that offer the Physics subject at form four. Through random sampling, a list of four schools that participated in the study was obtained. The schools were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The research instruments consisted of the Physics Pre-test (PPT), the Physics Achievement Test (PAT) and the Students Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ). Kuder Richardson test was used to determine the reliability of the PPT and PAT. A reliability coefficient of 0.7 and 0.8 was obtained for the PPT and PAT, respectively. Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.875 was obtained for the SAQ after the piloting of the instruments. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (t-test and ANOVA) were used in data analysis. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 was used for all statistical analyses. The hypothesis was tested at α=0.05 level of significance. The findings from the study showed that students had a positive attitude towards Physics and that the students' attitude towards Physics did not affect their achievement in Physics. The findings demystified the belief that the general attitude of students towards physics is negative. The study also revealed that the collaborative teaching strategy improved the students' achievement in physics for both HA and LA towards physics learners. The study recommended that teachers should expose students to Collaborative Strategy more frequently and teacher training programs to equip teachers with skills for collaboration. The findings of the current study are helpful to the curriculum developers in revising the curriculum towards learner-centredness by cooperating in collaborative activities towards achieving the purpose of the Competence Curriculum. Curriculum designing bodies may find the information useful during the in-servicing of teachers towards making the curriculum more learner-centred. Instructional material developers may find the information useful while developing materials that enhance learner activity, which will enhance positive attitudes towards physics and other subjects, especially in the science field. The findings of the study may be useful in curriculum reviews towards competency-based curriculum at the secondary school level through in-cooperation of collaborative tasks since collaboration is one of the core competencies to be achieved through the curriculum.