Achievement in Science and Attitude towards Science Practical among Secondary School Students of Patna

Abstract

Practical work is defined as any science teaching and learning activity that involves students, working individually or in small groups, manipulating, and/or observing real objects and materials instead of the virtual world. The teaching of science offers students the ability to access a wealth of knowledge and information, which will contribute to an overall understanding of how and why things work as they do. Science can explain the mechanics and reasons behind the daily functioning of complex systems, ranging from the human body to sophisticated modern methods of transport. Children and students can use this knowledge to understand new concepts, make well-informed decisions, and pursue new interests. Thus, there is a compulsory role of science practicals in science teaching, and it is always important to study its implications on the students’ science achievement. The study here has investigated this and found out if there is any relationship between science achievement and attitude towards science practicals. The study has been conducted on 120 students administering the standardized test on attitude towards science practicals. This study used a 30-item science attitude scale adapted from Prokop et al. (2007). The findings showed that the differences existed in science achievement based on gender and location of the schools. In contrast, in terms of attitude towards science practicals, the difference only existed based on the schools’ area of location. It was also found that there existed a significant relationship between achievement in science and attitude towards science practical among secondary school students of Patna.