Effect of hands-on science activities on Ghanaian student learning, attitudes, and career interest: A preliminary control study
Date
2020-12
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Global Journal of Transformative Education
Abstract
A quasi-experimental study was carried out with 309 Form 3 students across 9 public Junior High
Schools in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The effect of Practical Education Network (PEN)’s approach of
training STEM teachers to employ hands-on activities using low-cost, locally-available resources was studied
in terms of student learning outcomes, attitudes towards learning science, and interest in STEM majors/
careers. Over a 2.5-month period, the science teacher at each experimental school received a weekly training
on a hands-on activity and lesson observation by the respective PEN Trainer. A survey on attitudes towards
science and a previous edition of the national exam (BECE) were administered to all students before and
after the intervention. The mean pre-post differences were compared between the experimental and control
schools. The intervention caused an average of 10.9% increase in exam scores (difference-in-differences),
but the results were mixed at the school-level. Unpaired t-tests and Hedge’s g tests were used to determine
statistical significance between the two groups. Student engagement increased significantly (p = 3 x 10
-7
, g =
0.85), and student enjoyment of science increased 22% more, on average. The intervention disproportionately
affected the females positively, enabling greater learning gains (14.5% vs. 5.3% for the males), greater
increase in engagement, and a significant shift in interest towards STEM majors and careers, which their male
counterparts did not experience. Results from this study should inform the design of future studies with longer
duration and which account for factors such as school infrastructure quality.
Description
"The Global Journal of Transformative Education also operates under the Creative Commons License CC-BY-NC-ND. This allows for the reproduction of articles, free of charge, for non-commercial use only and with the appropriate citation information. All authors publishing with the GJTE accept these as the terms of publication."
item.page.type
Article
item.page.format
Keywords
Ghana, STEM, hands-on activities, attitudes, junior high school
Citation
Beem, H. (2020). Effect of Hands-on Science Activities on Ghanaian Student Learning, Attitudes, and Career Interest: A Preliminary Control Study. Global Journal of Transformative Education, 2(1).