Running Head: GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION

Guided Discovery Towards Increasing Student Interest and Performance in Form Two Integrated

Science

Devi Rambaran

University of the West Indies, St. Augustine

School of Education
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 2

Abstract

This study focused on the effectiveness of the Guided Discovery (GD) approach on student

interest and performance in Integrated Science at the Form Two level. The research design was

of mixed methods and included qualitative and quantitative data used in the triangulation of

results. Interest and academic performance in science has been low for several years at the school

and this intervention is being conducted to initiate an increased interest as well as performance.

The class of twenty three students were taught the Unit on Circulatory System in Humans for an

approximate three week period. Data collection instruments included interest surveys, journal

entries and scores from end of term and end of unit tests. Statistical analysis was done on the

data to indicate any significant change using the guided discovery method. There was a

significant difference found in the students’ interest level and academic performance after the

intervention and it is concluded that it had a positive impact.

Keywords: Guided Discovery, mixed methods

GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 3

Guided Discovery Towards Increasing Student Interest and Performance in Form Two Integrated

Science

Chapter 1

Background to problem

Las Lio is located in the Caroni educational district and students placed at Las Lio

Secondary School after the SEA (Secondary Entrance Examination) typically range in scores

between 0-30 % with few exceptions of few students being 'zoned' and placed with scores higher

than the 30% (school development plan). These students have literacy problems ranging from

inability to read, write and speak. Behavioural issues range from breaking classes, fights, gang

violence and casual sex which infiltrate the school as many of these students are exposed to such

behaviour at home. Students take very little interest in their life at school as it is not seen as a

place of learning but rather as a means to socialize between the hours of 8:00am to 2:30pm. The

trend noticed for the past three years has been that students participate very rarely in classes and

to compensate for such teachers resort to the ‘chalk and talk’ method of teaching. The low

literacy and numeracy levels have contributed to students’ low interest in science which

contributes to poor academic performance. When students do not participate or feel engaged in

the class, they tend to be absent often, become disruptive and contribute to the growing number

of children 'breaking classes'. There needs is the need for an intervention as an educator to

change the current problem. It was pointed out that it is not possible to explain how teaching

students to reach new understanding by focusing upon their mental structures in isolation from

the situation being used (Leach & Scott, 2003). This supports the fact that the student

experiences play a role in their learning and in the use of guided discovery. The researcher’s
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 4

belief is that as students’ participation and engagement increases within the classroom, it would

positively impact on their cognitive and affective domain as they develop throughout their school

life. The use of guided discovery goes a long way toward improving student understanding and

performance and also the educators’ ability to connect with students and convey the importance

of their own learning (Germain, 2013). This intervention is seen appropriate to address the

problem at hand but additionally create a connection between educator and student.

Problem statement

The lack of participation of students within science class typically results in a

compensatory 'chalk and talk' session. This translates into students’ performing poorly at

examinations and it is the researcher’s belief that they were unable to challenge themselves and

engage with the subject matter within the classroom. Poor performance in science at the lower

school level reduces their interest in pursuing the subject further. This again results in poor

results at the CSEC level which on average has a pass rate of 1% for the science in the past three

years. The intervention is seen as a possible solution to mitigating the low interest and academic

performance.

Purpose statement

The purpose of the study is to explore the viability of the constructivist approach of GD

with a group of Form Two Integrated Science students in an attempt to mitigate the problem of

low interest and performance within the subject area. This strategy allows for the lessons to be

constructed in a manner in which the students perform various activities and at the end are able

to determine the concept at hand. This intervention aims at increasing students’ interest and
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 5

participation in class which can compensate for their low literacy and numeracy skills which can

translate into improved grades.

Research questions

1. What effect does GD have on student interest in a Form II Integrated Science class?

2. What effect does GD have on student performance in a Form II Integrated science class?

Null Hypothesis

1. There is no significant difference in student’s interest towards Integrated Science at the

Form Two level when they are taught using the Guided Discovery Approach.

2. There is no significant difference in student’s academic performance in Integrated

Science when they are taught using the Guided Discovery Approach.

Significance of the study

At Las Lio Secondary it has become the accepted norm by many that the students

received are at the lower end of the academic spectrum. As an educator who has been exposed to

several new strategies, it is the belief that this study would prove that students once given an

opportunity using an appropriate strategy would succeed. Improving student's performance at the

lower school level in particular can have a significant ripple effect on their performance and

behaviour at the examination level classes. The low literacy and numeracy skills of the students

translate into poor grades as they demonstrate little or no interest in science. Increasing their

participation and engagement can impact on their cognitive development via questioning and

metacognition, as well as their intrapersonal skills by increasing their self-confidence and their

interpersonal skills by allowing them to collaborate within the classroom. Simply believing that
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 6

these students are not capable goes against of one of the philosophical and educational objectives

from the National Task Force of Education, better known as the White Paper which states,

"That every child has the ability to learn and that we must build on this positive assumption".

Education Policy Paper (1993-2003)

As an educator, this document also addresses my responsibility as it also states,

"That we must be alert to new research and development in all fields of human learning and to

the implications of these new developments for more effective teaching and school

improvement."

Education Policy Paper (1993-2003)

The wider educational community seeks to benefit from this as these students can now leave

school with skills that can help them further their studies and succeed. The wider community at

hand also benefits by gaining students who now are armed with 21st century skills.

Organization of the paper

This paper has a specific layout with Chapter II: Literature Review focusing on similar

studies carried out on guided discovery and the impact on student interest and performance in

science as well the effect on learning. Chapter III: Methodology focuses on the tools used and

the research design employed in gathering the necessary data to determine the effect on interest

and performance in science. Chapter IV deals with the statistical analysis of the data collected

from the study as well the qualitative analysis done. Chapter V: Discussion focuses on the

discussion of the results and trends that were noticed as well as the recommendations and

constraints found by the researcher during the implementation of the study.

GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 7

Chapter 2

Literature review

Teaching methods can be classified across a continuum depending on the level of

instruction and thus range from instruction centred to learner centred (Ruyle & Jacobsen, 2003).

Instruction centred relies solely on the competency of the teacher and is usually product oriented

and non-interactive (Mayer, 2004). Therefore this method even though used traditionally is not

the most effective for the learner. There are several perspectives in the ways in which people

learn (Bennet, 2003) and these include constructivism. Research conducted by Savery and Duffy

(1995) suggests that learning how to use constructivist theories involves many interactions with

the content, the context and the activity of the learner and the goals of the learner. This strategy

allows for the students to directly interact with the material and formulate their own ideas and

misconceptions which have to be reinforced or clarified by the teacher. This strategy requires

significant planning for teachers as Jones and Tanner states that “the underpinning factors

appears to be the teacher’s ability to anticipate the possible responses and errors that may arise

and their confidence to ‘go with the pupils’ while still steering the lesson to achieve its objectives

(2002).”

It has been asked often how science should be taught to allow for meaningful learning. Several

investigative strategies were developed based on the assumption that learning takes place when

the learners are actively involved in the knowledge getting process (Njoku, 2004). These

strategies included Guided Discovery which ensured a shift from teacher dominated classrooms

to learner focused where they engaged in genuine ‘find out’ activities which allowed them to

display objects, models and equipment (Gbamanja, 1991). The question now begs how this
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 8

strategy can address the researcher’s problem within science. The Nature of Science has to be

explored.

The “Nature of Science” (NoS) consists of those seldom-taught but very important features of

working science, e.g., its realm and limits, its levels of uncertainty, its biases, its social aspects,

and the reasons for its reliability. Popular ignorance of these features of science has led to many

misuses, misrepresentations and abuses of science. Research conducted by Yadav (1984)

suggested that students learned science concepts better via the Guided Discovery method over

teacher based instruction. GD method is most applicable for the science classroom as teachers

provide coaching and modelling (Mayer, 2004). The students’ view of science determines their

interest level in the subject. The static view is that science is a group of facts and the dynamic

view posits that scientific knowledge is key to understanding what science means (McComas,

1998). The use of GD by the researcher aims at changing the students’ view of science in an

attempt to increase their interest. Students benefit from Guided Discovery instruction because it

fosters curiosity and creativity (Mayer, 2004) both which feeds students interest.

Researchers Abbott and Fouts (2003) found a significant correlation between constructivist

teaching and higher achievement and additionally investigations done on students using Guided

Discovery learning activities have outperformed students using pure discovery methods

(Shulman & Keisler, 1996). In a college level math course it was found that students who were

taught using the Guided Discovery approach performed better on exams that those who learned

concepts through teacher directed lecture (Clute, 1984).

GD has proven to be effective because it helps the student meet two essential criteria for learning

(and further the learning of science) - constructing knowledge to make sense of new incoming
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 9

knowledge and integrating incoming information with the appropriate knowledge base (Shulman

& Keisler, 1966).

Local educational journalist Michael Kallon (2003) states that the chalk and talk method depends

on the teachers ability and knowledge and makes no provision for the student to develop their

own abilities. He further states that students are not ‘tabulae rasae’ as the traditional transmission

model of teaching implies but they bring to the classroom a plethora of ideas and beliefs.

The use of the Guided Discovery strategy challenges the traditional method of 'chalk and talk'. It

is an inquiry based technique and is considered constructivist in nature. The label of discovery

learning can cover a variety of instructional techniques. Discovery learning can occur whenever

the student is not provided with an exact answer but rather the materials in order to find the

answer themselves. Discovery learning takes place in problem solving situations where the

learner draws on his own experience and prior knowledge and is a method of instruction through

which students interact with their environment by exploring and manipulating objects, wrestling

with questions and controversies, or performing experiments. Guided Discovery learning can be

tailored to the abilities of the students and questions and guidelines can be created in sync with

their capabilities which is appropriate for students with low literacy and numeracy levels within

the researchers’’ school.

Literacy is a big part of students’ life as they use it in passing notes and text messages, but this

eagerness does not translate into the science classroom. Students have to be interested in a topic

and must be something they feel has importance to them (Irvin, Meltzer & Dukes, 2007).

Students at high school with low literacy skills are often assigned failing marks and given the

least amount of time of practice ((Irvin, Meltzer & Dukes, 2007) and it is the belief that the GD

intervention can address this issue.

GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 10

Students enter the science classroom with the notion that it is difficult as well as their own views

on science which impacts their participation and performance in the class. Student performance

can improve when instruction is designed to deal with specific difficulties (Savinainen & Scott,

2002) and the use of GD is meant to address those difficulties. Research have shown that

misconceptions of science remain deeply seated in the students’ mind and remain after

instruction (Clement, 1982; Halloun & Hestenes, 1985) and thus the use of GD with its unique

nature of student and teacher interaction can clear up any misconception.

Chapter 3

Methodology

Design of the study

Action Research

This study was conducted using action research which can be described as a form of

applied research designed to answer a specific school or classroom related question (Gall, 2003)

and to improve practice within the classroom (McMillan, 2000). In support of this Carr and

Kemis (1986) stated that action research improves teaching practice as well as the situation in

which the practice takes place. This approach was utilized to inform the researcher on whether

the traditional method of teaching to a more ‘hands on’ approach would increase student interest

and thus performance. The situation in this case is most pertinent as it relates to student interest

and performance in which the researcher views as essential. Research results can inform the

researcher on making decisions in the future regarding the manner in which classes are

conducted and activities planned for students. Experts suggest that teachers needs to critically
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 11

and practically think about research results and in doing so select, modify and adapt the

applications to meet the unique needs of the students (Gage & Berliner, 1989).

This study was designed to introduce the Constructivist strategy of Guided Discovery to a group

of Form two Integrated Science students. The advantage of utilizing this method versus

expository teaching was outlined in the Literature Review. This chapter outlines the procedures

used to carry out the study. It describes how the data is to be analysed to answer the following

key questions:

Research questions

1. What effect does GD have on student interest in a Form II Integrated Science class?

2. What effect does GD have on student performance in a Form II Integrated science class?

The study tested the following null hypothesis:

1. There is no significant difference in student’s interest towards Integrated Science at the

Form Two level when they are taught using the Guided Discovery Approach.

2. There is no significant difference in student’s academic performance in Integrated

Science when they are taught using the Guided Discovery Approach.

The students were not chosen randomly, but rather by the researcher. The mixed method

approach was used which involved collecting and analysing both forms of data in a single study.

Mixed method approach was used since researchers felt that all methods have limitations and the

triangulation of data sources were more reliable (Jick, 1979).The results from one method can

help develop or inform the other method (Greene, Caracelli & Graham, 1989). The strategy used

in this study is sequential in nature where the researcher sought to elaborate on or expand the

findings of one method with another (Creswell, 2003). The qualitative method was used first and
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 12

followed up with quantitative. Quantitative data included non -experimental designs such as

surveys which include cross sectional questionnaires or structured interviews for data collection,

with the intent of generalizing from the sample as well as summative test scores from post and

pre intervention. Qualitative data collected would have taken the form of journals, reflections as

well as narratives from the students which would illustrate any change in their attitude towards

science. This mixed method approach to the study allows for an integration of the data at

different stages and enables the researcher to provide a comprehensive analysis of the problem at

hand. The both forms of data are collected at the same time frame and the information is

integrated in the interpretation of the overall results.

Limitations of the mixed method design include that this requires vast amounts of data to be

collected in a short period. The data collection includes gathering numeric information as well as

text information so that the final database reflects qualitative and quantitative information

(Creswell, 2003). There is also the assumption that collecting diverse data would best provide an

understanding of the research problem.

Participants

This study utilised a group of twenty three Form two students between the ages of

thirteen to fourteen. The sample group consists of ten boys and thirteen girls of varying

ethnicities. This particular group of students have been at the school for over one year and have

had some interaction at the Form one level with the researcher. Few of the students who are at

the higher end of the literacy spectrum in this class take part in science activities whereas the

majority do not which is reflected in their grades. The literacy levels within the class ranges from

those who cannot read and write to those who are average. These students were chosen for this
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 13

reason as well as the fact that these students would become CSEC science students. They are

being given the opportunity to use their skills in science class and tap into their potential. The

students all pursue eight subjects in accordance with NCSE curriculum. They tend to socialise

among their gender groups and they all reside within the East-West corridor.

Setting

The lessons were delivered in the Biology Laboratory Room 233 on the second floor of

Block E of the school. The lab is well furnished with comfortable seating as well as air

conditioned. There is adequate lighting and ventilation. Block E is the dedicated Science block

and as such there were minimal distractions from the day to day operation of the school.

Strategy

Guided Discovery (GD) falls under the concept of constructivism. The strategy was

modified and adapted by the researcher and based on Bruner’s Discovery Model (1967). The

model described its basic proponent of encouraging student engagement, interest and

development of creativity by allowing students to interact with material and objects within the

classroom (See Figure 1). The researcher adapted and modified this model by using appropriate

questioning throughout the lessons to initiate the process of discovery. The researcher played the

role of a facilitator for the lessons by clearing up misconceptions and guiding the students to the

relevant concept being taught.

GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 14

Figure 1 illustrating Guided Discovery Model from which the study was adapted

Research Plan

The study was conducted in late February. The principal, the Form teacher, the PTA and

the parents were all given formal notification via a letter informing them of the study to be done

(Appendix A) in keeping within legality of the Ministry of Education. Additionally in

accordance with the Nuremberg Code students gave their verbal consent as well as for the

researcher to conduct an “experiment which should yield fruitful results for the good of society,

unprocurable by other methods or means of study, and not random and unnecessary in nature”

The study consisted of nine lessons. Students were given interest surveys prior to the start of the

intervention period and again at the end of the intervention period. The survey was adapted and

modified from a published researcher using similar research parameters (Appendix A). This

documented student’s interest before and after the intervention. Trends of the results from the
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 15

post-test and the most recent achievement test before the intervention (previous term test scores)

determined the impact on performance.

Instruments

Research question 1: Student Interest

Qualitative data for this study included that of journal entries by the students and

completion of an interest survey to be done before and after the intervention (Appendix A). The

collection of qualitative data lends itself to the site where participants (the students and the

researcher) experience the problem under the study (J.W Creswell, 2007). This method allows

the researcher themselves to actually gather the data as well as for multiple forms of data rather

than relying on a single source. Qualitative research is done to allow for the detailed

understanding of the issue at hand. Qualitative approach makes claims primarily on

constructivist perspective (J.W. Creswell, 2003) which is the basis of guided discovery.
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 16

Research question 2: Student performance

The effect of the intervention on the student’s academic performance took into

consideration the student’s scores before the intervention and the scores after the intervention

period. This quantitative approach employed the strategy of inquiry such as collection of data on

predetermined instruments (tests) that would yield statistical data (J.W Creswell, 2003). This

does not take into consideration the differing content and difficulty level of the pre-test and the

post intervention assessments. The instrument being used to measure this includes the end of unit

test which would be administered at the end of the teaching period of the unit. The scores used

for comparison are those from the previous end of term examination (baseline test). The end of

unit test as well as the baseline test was set in keeping with the 60:40 principles of knowledge

and comprehension to the use of knowledge. (Appendix D).

Method of Implementation

The intervention took place in the second term of the academic year 2014-2015. The

scores from the previous term end of term examinations were used as the base score. A pre-test

was not used as it would have exposed the students to material that would be contained within

the unit to be taught. All examination procedures were observed for both examinations to ensure

the integrity of the scores produced.

Unit of Work

The unit of work covered was The Circulatory system in Humans. The objectives of each

of the lesson were explained to the students at the beginning of the lessons. Groups were

assigned tasks and followed the instructions given by the teacher. The teacher guided them along
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 17

each task. As the tasks progressed, the teacher asked various questions and garnered feedback

from each group. The class was monitored by the teacher continuously by moving throughout the

class and from group to group to ensure order was maintained. At the end of the lesson, the

students re-joined the ‘main group’ (class) and the ideas generated from the activity discussed

and then linked to the theory (content) of the lesson.

Table 2

Unit and the Lessons to be delivered

GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 18

Data Analysis Strategies

Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from the study.

Research questions

1. What effect does GD have on student interest in a Form II Integrated Science class?

Qualitative data was collected from the students to document and determine their interest before

and after the intervention. This took the form of pre and post interest surveys and journals. The

interest survey data were tabulated and relevant and appropriate graphs and statistical tests

carried out. The paired t statistical test was carried out to determine any significant change in

their interest level. The paired t test is used to compare two means for a within group design, a

situation in which every participant is in both samples (Nolan & Heinzen, 2010). There was also

qualitative coding done on the data collected from the journals (Appendix B). Coding is the

process of combing the data for themes, ideas and categories and marking similar passages of

text with a code label so that they can easily be retrieved at a later stage for further comparison

and analysis. Coding the data makes it easier to search the data, to make comparisons and to

identify any patterns (Gibbs & Taylor, 2005).

2. What effect does GD have on student performance in a Form II Integrated science class?

To analyse the quantitative data collected which were in the form of the baseline scores (from

previous term exam) and the scores from the post-test delivered as the end of unit examination

(Appendix E). The paired t statistical test was carried out to determine any significant change in

their academic performance. The paired t test is used to compare two means for a within group

design, a situation in which every participant is in both samples (Nolan & Heinzen, 2010). The
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 19

students mean scores as well as the median scores were analysed. A boxplot was done to

document the difference in the scores pre and post intervention.

Chapter 4

Results

This study aimed at the effectiveness of the GD approach on student’s interest level and

performance in Integrated Science at the Form Two level. The two following research questions

were addressed:

1. What effect does GD have on student interest in a Form II Integrated Science class?

2. What effect does GD have on student performance in a Form II Integrated science class?

The null hypotheses tested in the study were:

1. There is no significant difference in student’s interest towards science when being taught

using the guided discovery approach.

2. There is no significant difference in student’s academic performance when being taught

using the guided discovery approach.

Student’s Interest towards Science

To evaluate the first hypothesis descriptive statistical test was carried out. To determine

the difference between the pre and post interest survey, a paired t test was done. The mean (M=

34, SD= 18.119, N= 8) was significantly greater than zero, t (7)= 4.965, two tail p= 0.0025,

providing evidence that there is a significant difference in the pre and post scores. The null

hypothesis was thus rejected.

GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 20

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
PRE INTEREST SURVEY POST INTEREST SURVEY
MEAN 50.28571429 84.28571429
MEDIAN 43 91

Figure 2 illustrating comparison between pre and post interest surveys

GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 21

To address the first hypothesis a comparison of the mean and median in the pre and post interest

surveys were done .The bar chart illustrates the increase in the mean by approximately 25% and

a 36% increase in the median between the pre and post interest survey. The students’ overall

interest in science had improved.

120
p
e 100
r
c 80
e
n
60
t
a
g 40
BEFORE
e
20 AFTER
%
0
"interestin
"friends "enjoy "enjoy
"like g "fun "interestin
like discussing learning
science" equipmen activities" g topics"
science" science" science"
t"
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q8 Q13
BEFORE 39 26 69 30 43 56 89
AFTER 78 56 91 87 91 96 91

Figure 3 illustrating the specific questions pertaining to interest in pre and post surveys

The comparison between student’s overall responses to interest in science for pre intervention

and post intervention shows an increase across the board in all the responses. Question 1

demonstrated a dramatic increase of 33% in their interest in science as well as Question 8 which

looked at their interest in discussing science which increased by 26%.

GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 22

There were trends noticed from the students’ journal entries as students remarks included “I am

more interested in science, there is more to learn”, “More interesting because I can do the work

better”, “I am more interested because it was fun and understood at the same time” and “More

interested because I learnt about my body”. (Appendix B). These responses demonstrates that

students interest was stimulated during the lessons as well that there was the mention that the

class was fun and they understood the material, making a clear connection between their interest

and perception of academic performance.

Students’ academic performance in science

To determine if there was a difference between the baseline test and the end of unit test

after the intervention a paired t test was conducted. The mean was significantly greater than zero

(M= 62.695, SD= 12.79, N= 23), t (23) = 1.902, two tailed p=0.070, providing evidence that

there was significant difference between the scores and thus the null hypothesis was rejected.
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 23

100

90

80

70

60

Test Scores 50

40

30

20

10

0
MEAN (AVERAGE) MODE MEDIAN
Baseline test 62.69565217 72 72
Post test 68.40909091 90 75

Figure 4 illustrating the mean scores from baseline and post test
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 24

There is an increase in the mean scores by 6% and the most frequent score among the students

also increased from 72 to 90, indicating more students did well in the test This can be

interpreted as the students’ academic performance improved after the intervention was done. The

results also indicated that more students passed the test after the intervention than before (See

Appendix E).

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
PRETEST POST TEST

Figure 5 Boxplot of the baseline (pre-test) and post test scores

This demonstrates that the median score from the class after the intervention increased as well as

the number of students that scored in the higher percentile increased illustrating an overall

increased academic performance.

GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 25

Chapter V

Discussion

This research study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of Guided Discovery in

increasing student interest and academic performance in Form II Integrated Science.

Research Question 1- Student’s interest towards science

From the statistical analysis of the results the first null hypothesis was rejected. It is

probable that the use of guided discovery method of instruction had an impact on student’s

interest levels towards science. A comparison of the mean and median illustrated an increase in

the scores indicating that there was a positive impact by the intervention. In a similar study with

secondary school science students it was found that with guided discovery students were able to

experience learning in a collaborative manner with their peers which encourages interest and

engagement within the science class (Castillo, 2011). Discovery learning has produced positive

results by a study conducted by Sungar and Tekkaya (2006) in which students spent much time

and demonstrated interest on the activities done in accordance with the intervention.

Research question 2- Impact on student’s academic performance

Based on the results the second null hypothesis was rejected indicating that there was an

increase in student academic performance with the use of the strategy. There was an increase in

the mean, median and mode scores from the baseline (previous term scores) to the post

intervention scores. In a similar study of the effect of guided discovery on student’s achievement

in physics, Abdisa and Getinet (2012) found that guided discovery was most effective in

improving student’s achievement. Mayer (2004) reviewed evidence from 1960s to the 1980s
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 26

which concluded the significance and importance of instructional guidance (guided) rather than

traditional methods of teaching.

The performance of the students could have increased also because of the parallel

improvement in the students’ interest in science and the activities conducted. Researcher Dewey

(1913) claimed that a strong interest will sustain an individual’s attention and lead to sustained

effort in accomplishing an academic goal.

Constraints

There were several factors affecting the implementation of the study. A major constraint

was time. There were several interruptions the weeks before and after carnival which affected

student turnout. Additionally, the school had several disrupted school days and early dismissals

which affected the time in which the study had to be completed.

Additionally the disruptions meant that there was not the ‘smooth flow’ of the lessons as

it was initially planned. There were several no school days within the delivery of the Unit which

may have affected student attendance as well as their ability to recall tasks and information

taught from previous lessons.

Educational Implications- for researcher and other teachers/administrators

1. Science teachers should be made aware of the positive impact and significance of guided

discovery method of instruction on students’ interest and academic performance.

2. The study even though completed within a short time frame illustrates that similar studies

can be done under the guidance of administration on a regular basis in attempt to keep
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 27

science teachers updated with methods and strategies as well as to identify and mitigate

weaknesses of the students and teachers alike.

Recommendations

This study yielded results for both the student and the researcher. Observations made

during the study and analysis of the data collected has prompted the researcher to reflect on the

impact of the intervention and to make the following recommendations.

Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommends that:

1. Science teachers are made aware of the Nature of Science (NoS) and the importance of

this knowledge in teaching of science. Students should also be made aware of the NoS in

an attempt to increase their awareness and interest.

2. In delivering science lessons, teachers should emphasize not only facts but the real life

connections and viability that science has on everyday life. The importance of science

and technology can be highlighted to allow students to make the connection between the

quality of life and science.

Conclusion

The results of the study demonstrated that there was an improvement in both student

interest and academic performance Form II Integrated Science using the guided discovery

method. Discovery learning is an approach that shifts the classroom focus towards the student

and away from the teacher and is seen as a valuable pedagogical tool in teaching science to lower

school students. More discovery based strategies can be used by science teachers to improve
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 28

student interest and grades despite the literacy issues that are faced by many science teachers

today.
GUIDED DISCOVERY IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION 29

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