| dc.description.abstract | This study sought to determine grade seven science learners' conceptual understanding of force. A related aim was to determine the effectiveness of Vee diagramming in ameliorating the incorrect conceptions about force held by the learners. The study was conducted in a working class area dominated by high drop-out rate, high illiteracy rate, poorly trained teachers and under-resourced schools. Three comparable groups of grade seven learners from two primary schools were selected
for the research. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered. The instruments used for gathering the data included a General Ability Test on force, a Concept of Force Test (COFT), interviews and a student questionnaire. However, before the instruments were administered to the learners eight experts evaluated them by ranking the questions from 1 to 5. A ranking of 1 stood for a poor item while 5 stood for an item of high quality. The correlation of their ratings was determined using the Spearman's Rank Difference formula. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design modified after Solomon-3 Control Group Design. The experimental group (E, n = 25)) and the second control group (C2, n = 25)) were exposed to Vee diagramming while the true control group (C 1, n = 25)) was taught through an expository lecture approach. Further, six learners were interviewed from both the experimental and C2-group to gain a deeper insight into whether or not Vee diagramming enhanced their understanding of the concept of force. The data were analyzed and discussed against five different levels of understanding rangmg from "no response", "no understanding", "misconceptions", "partial understanding" to "sound understanding". The null hypothesis suggesting that no significant difference in achievement existed between the learners exposed to Vee diagramming and those not so exposed could not be rejected (t-calc < t-crit), although the post-test results of the learners exposed to Vee diagramming were slightly better than the pre-test results. Also, the null hypothesis suggesting that no significant difference in achievement existed between groups based on language and gender could not be rejected. In conclusion, the major findings and implications for curriculum development and instruction are highlighted. Also, the need for teachers to keep abreast of recent developments of exemplary instructional practices is recommended. | en_US |
