THE DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A TEST OF SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS (TOPS) FOR NIGERIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS
THE DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A TEST OF SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS (TOPS) FOR NIGERIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS
No Thumbnail Available
Date
1998
Authors
AYO AJAGUN, GRACE
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The need for reliable instruments for measuring student performance of science process skills necessitated the conduct of this study. The main objective of the study was to construct, standardise and evaluate parallel Tests of Science Process Skills (TOPS) for secondary schools in Nigeria. Seventeen tests (5 biology tests, 4 physics tests, 4 chemistry tests and 4 general tests) comprising 23 items each, were initially developed and trial tested. A total of five hundred and seventy two students from 13 secondary schools located in Zaria and in London, took these tests. The students' scores were used for item analysis. The results of the item analysis were used for modifying the tests and redistributing the items in the different test forms.
The modified tests were administered to 830 students in thirteen secondary schools in Zaria and Kaduna Education Zones of Kaduna
State. The results of the data analysis from this trial phase showed that TOPS (Biology) I, II, and III; TOPS (Chemistry) I, II, and III; TOPS (Physics) I, II and III and TOPS (General) I and II were parallel biology,
chemistry, physics and general tests of science process skills respectively. These tests were then administered to 2200 students from 34 secondary schools in Kaduna and Zaria. Education Zones, between November and December 1996. The analysis data from the final administration showed that:
i. TOPS (Biology) I, II and III; TOPS (Chemistry) I, II and III;
TOPS (Physics) I, II and III and TOPS (General) I and II were parallel biology, chemistry, physics and general tests of science
process skills respectively.
ii. Girls performed better than the boys in all the tests. This
finding led to the establishment of sex norms for TOPS.
iii. School location had no influence on students performance of
science process skills.
Further analysis of the results of this study suggested that science process skills were content-dependent. The results obtained showed that skills transfer were most likely when the domains of study are conceptually related, like between chemistry and physics.
The investigation into the appropriateness of the TOPS revealed among other things that:
i. Teachers considered the TOPS assessment model to be relatively
cheaper than the practical mode of skills assessment, and schools could afford to use TOPS for the assessment of students' performance of science process skills.
ii. Teachers would like to use TOPS for the continuous assessment of their students.
These results led to the recommendations that TOPS could be used for :
i, the continuous assessment of students achievement of science
process skills;
ii. reporting students performance in specific skills;
iii. planning remedial instruction for students;
iv. improving the validity of W.A.E.C. examinations; and
v. assessing curricula objectives.
Description
A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY ZARIA
1998
Keywords
DEVELOPMENT ,, EVALUATION ,, SCIENCE ,, PROCESS SKILLS,, NIGERIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS