RESEARCH PROPOSAL ON THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE LABORATORY SKILLS OF STUDENTS

This is a research proposal on the factors affecting the laboratory skills of students in science

1. RESEARCH PROPOSAL by JUANITA ALINDAYO-MORALES

2. Factors Affecting the Proficiency of Laboratory Skills of Colleges of Arts and Sciences Students at Lorma Colleges 2 nd Semester SY 2011-2012

3. Background of Study Pica (1998) identifies that there are eight primary and additional advance skills under the Science-A Process approach (S-APA). These are the observing communicating predicting measuring inferring using space-time relations using mathematical relations and classifying

4. The Central Board of Education (CBE) have categorized the practical skills into: procedural and manipulative skills, observation skills, reporting and interpreting skills and drawing skills use for assessment of practical skills in science and technology.

5. The prime focus of the Board is: on the innovations in teaching-learning methodologies by devising students friendly and students centered paradigms,    reforms in examinations and evaluation practices,  skill learning by adding job-oriented and job-linked inputs, and  regularly updating the pedagogical skills of the teachers and administrators by conducting in service training programmes , workshops etc.

6. This prompted the researcher to utilized the categorized practical skills in the construction of questionnaire to determine the laboratory skills of students.

7. Abracia (1994) Today’s majority of the high school students find it difficult to put up and perform their own investigatory project. It is also observed that most of the students find each difficulty because they have not strongly developed the investigative skills needed to accomplish the said investigation. Thus most of them immediately jump into conclusion without subjecting first the issue inot the logical and orderly steps of the scientific method.

8. In the Philippines, THE ENHANCED K+12 BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAM of the government stated on its rationale that International tests results like 2003 TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) rank the Philippines 34th out

9. of 38 countries in HS II Math and 43 rd out of 46 countries in HS II Science; for grade 4, the Philippines ranked 23rdout of 25 participating countries in both Math and Science.In 2008, even with only the science high schools participating in the Advanced Mathematics category, the Philippines was ranked lowest.

10. Dalacan (2005) with his study test the level of performance of paramedical students integrated science process skills (TISPS) covering the skills namely making operational definition, formulating hypothesis, manipulating variables, interperatting data and experimenting.

11. The study revealed that students performed well on making operational definition and on formulating hypothesis. However, on manipulating variables he implied that students have not yet fully developed this skills. On interpretating data, study stated that students may have not maximized the use of graphs, tables and diagrams to correctly interpret the data that they have collected from the experiment.

12. On the experimenting skill, study revealed that performance of students is not remarkable that implies further that teachers might not have focused on the science activities that would develop the student’s skills on experimenting. The overall performance of paramedical students on the five integrated science process skills means that practice of such skills has not yet reached maximum utilization or the students have not yet developed this skills.

13. Some research suggest that some factors inside and outside the classroom affects student achievement however experts claim that the key factor in what comes out at the end of the schooling is what goes on in the classroom. (California Education Policy Seminar & California State University Institute for Educational Reform 1998).

14. Factors identified are: Teaching strategy School Learning environment Gender Age Student learning habit

15. Theoretical Framework Gagne (1965) popularized and supported the Curriculum, Science A- A Process Approach (SAPA). The principle of learning is referred to as the process skills. constructivist view of learning with considers learning as an active participation on the part of the learner. The learner is considered as an individual who actively constructs his/ her knowledge base by engaging in learning activities.

16. Paradigm of the Study Independent Variable Dependent Variable Factors affecting the laboratory skills of CAS Students Demographic Profile Age gender 2. Study habits 3. Teaching Methodologies 4. Learning environment Laboratory Skills of Students   A. Procedural and Manipulative B. Observing C. Drawing D. Reporting and Interpretative skills

17. Statement of the Problem The study aims to determine the factors affecting the laboratory skills of students in College of Arts and Sciences in Science second semester SY 2010-2011. It specifically sought to answer the following questions:

18. What is the level of proficiency of the laboratory skills of CAS students? 2. What is the extent of the ff. --factors affecting the proficiency of the laboratory skills of students in College of arts and sciences? 3 . Is there a significant relationship between the factors and laboratory skills of CAS students?

19. Research Hypothesis The following statements were formulated research hypotheses that will use in the study: 1. The factors strongly affect the laboratory skills of College of Arts and Sciences students. 2. The laboratory skills of CAS students is average along:  

20. Procedural and Manipulative Observation Drawing Representing and Interpreting data 3. There is no significant relationship between the factors and the laboratory skills of CAS students.

21. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

22. Research Design The study will make use of use of descriptive method of research. Descriptive statistics is concerned with the gathering, classification and presentation of data and the collection of summarizing values to describe group characteristics of the data. It is descriptive as it gathers information on the factors affecting the proficiency of laboratory skills of CAS students.

23. Population and Local of the study The study will be conducted at Lorma Colleges, Carlatan, City of San Fernando, La Union. The respondents of the study are the CAS students enrolled in science laboratory course. The college composed of two courses, Bachelor in secondary Education and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

24. AB Psychology composed of 9 first year, 6 second year, 8 third year and 3 fourth year students with a total of 26 while BSE students have 4 majoring in science and 1 in Math-Physics. The total number of respondents who enrolled in science laboratory course are 31.

25. Data Gathering Tools Questionnaire is the tool to be use in gathering relevant data from the respondents. It is composed of the cover letter, profile of students and the questionnaire proper. The profile characteristics are age, gender, and status.

26. To categorize the data, using the likert scale method, the following point scale will be use. Strongly agree 5 Somewhat agree 4 Neither agree nor disagree 3 Somewhat disagree 2 Strongly disagree 1

27. Validity To ensure the validity of the instrument it will be presented for critic and refinement to the thesis adviser and the panel. Validating a questionnaire can be made by judgment of two or more competent person as it is presumed to be valid.

28. Reliability To test the reliability of the instrument, this will be administer to a class of 3o or more students at Lorma College who enrolled in laboratory course and are not among the respondents.

29. Data Gathering Procedure Before the distribution of the questionnaires, a letter to the dean of College of Arts and sciences requesting permission to distributing the questionnaire will be made and an introductory letter accompany the questionnaire informing the respondents of the study

30. Respondents will be ask individually to accomplish and will assure about the confidentiality of the information. As soon as the respondents will finish the questionnaire these will be collected and check if its complete.

31. Treatment Data The factors affecting the laboratory skills of students will be determine using the likert -scale system: Point Value Statistical Range Descriptive Rating 5 4.21-5.00 strongly agree 4 3.41-4.20 somewhat agree 3 2.61-3.40 neither agree nor disagree 2 1.81-2.60 somewhat disagree 1 1.0-1.80 strongly disagree

32. The percentage and frequency will be use to answer the factors affecting the proficiency of laboratory skills of CAS students. The formula is: x 100 N P = f Where: P = percentage f= frequency of responses N=total number of respondents