Abstract:
We are living in the era of science and technology and it has made the world a
global village. Science and technology has become a prominent indicator of
economic development and prosperity. Nations of the world are striving for the
excellence in this field. Pakistan is a developing country and advancement in the field
of science and technology is the only way that can embark upon an era of economic
development and prosperity for the country. Advancement in science and technology
requires revolutionary changes and improvements in teaching learning science at all
levels. One of the desired changes is the use of hands-on activities in teaching and
learning science.
Students’ involvement in hands-on activities exposes them to vibrant
connections from abstract concepts to material examples and from scientific
principles to scientific applications, which contribute a lot to students’ better
comprehension of the scientific knowledge and their ability to solve problems using
their scientific knowledge. It has been found that hands-on activities provide
enjoyment to children and develop greater enthusiasm for science in the classroom.
Keeping in view the need and importance hands-on activities in science
education, the present study was undertaken. This study was designed to investigate
the impact of hands-on activities on 8th grade students’ motivation toward science
learning and their achievement in science. The study was conducted on 342 students
of two boys’ high schools and two girls’ high schools, all schools were from public
sector. The sample of the study comprised of 145 male and 197 female of grade 8, of
which 169(49%) were assigned as experimental group and instructed by hands-on
activities, while the 173 (51%) were assigned as control group and instructed by the
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traditional method. For the study, students’ motivation toward science learning scale
(SMTSL) was used to measure students’ motivation toward science learning and
science achievement test developed and validated by the researcher, was used to
collect the data regarding students achievement score in science. The data were
analyzed by using Independent Sample t-test through SPSS. The results indicated that
there was a significant difference between the means score on students’ motivation
toward science learning and students’ science achievement in favour of the
experimental group. Gender wise comparison showed that male students were higher
on motivation toward science learning as a result of experiencing hands-on activities
but the difference was small and insignificant. Moreover, the gender wise comparison
on achievement score as a result of experiencing hands-on activities showed that
hands-on activities are equally beneficial for both male and female students and no
difference on science achievement was found therein.
The results of this study are important in the context of developing countries
that have limited resources to spend on science education. The study recommends that
science curriculum should be more activity based and include more hands- on
activities at this level and teachers should be trained effectively so that the students’
motivational level toward science learning and their achievement in science can be
enhanced.