EFFECT OF TEACHING PHYSICS WITH PHYSICS SUITE ON THE ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

Teaching of Physics with Physics Suite describes a variety of tools for improving both teaching and learning, including new kinds of homework and exam problems, and ways of assessing the level of understanding in your class. It aims to help educators learn to be more effective at teaching Physics. The Physics Suite is much more than a text with a collection of ancillaries developed after the fact. The Physics Suite builds on integrating a series of strong activity-based elements with the text. The Physics Suite focuses on getting students to learn to do what they need to do to learn physics. In the Physics Suite, the Activity-Based Physics (ABP) Group is creating a new kind of educational environment. The major objectives of the study were to examine: (i) the relative effects of teaching Physics with Physics Suite instruction on the academic achievement of secondary school students in the subject of Physics; (ii) the difference between treatment effects for the students of high and low level of intelligence/achievement. To achieve the objectives of the study nine null hypotheses were tested. The students of 9th class of the same school were selected as sample of the study. Sample students were divided into two groups i.e. experimental group and control group on the basis of previous results by applying pair random sampling. In order to secure data, post-test was administered to the experimental as well as control group. There were two different treatment patterns in the methods of teaching. Two teachers with same qualification and experience were selected to teach experimental and the control groups. Before starting the experiment, teachers were familiarized with the methods they were going to adopt. The treatment was given for continuous six week. After the treatment was over, a teacher-made post test was administered for the collection of data. After obtaining the scores, the means, standard deviations and difference of means was computed. Significance of difference between the mean scores of both the groups was tested by applying t-test. To see the treatment effects for the students of high and low levels of intelligence; and for male and female students, the factorial design (2x2) analysis of variance was applied. The students of experimental group performed significantly better than those of control group on the post-test which proved that teaching of physics with the physics suite was more effective than the traditional method of teaching physics to secondary school students. Students of high achievement level who were taught physics with physics suite performed significantly better than those who were taught through traditional approach on the post-test. Though students of low achievement level taught physics with physics suite performed significantly better on post-test than those who were taught by traditional method but a significant difference was also found between the performance of low achievers of experimental group and control group on previous test. Teaching of physics with physics suite has proved its worth through this study, therefore, a well equipped computer laboratory with internet facilities should be established in each school where physics is being taught as an elective subject. Concepts related with teaching of physics with physics suite be incorporated in the teacher education curriculum for pre-service teacher education and for teacher already in the system, in-service courses should be arranged and such type of training be made obligatory for physics teachers. Future studies be planned having male- female students in the sample. Experiment with greater number of students from different secondary schools representing wider range of intelligence be planned to further support the results of this study.