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The Effects of Integrating Laboratory Work with

Theory on Academic Achievement in Secondary School Physics
Article · October 2010

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 An International Multi-Disciplinary Journal, Ethiopia
Vol. 4 (4), Serial No. 17, October, 2010
ISSN 1994-9057 (Print) ISSN 2070-0083 (Online)

The Effects of Integrating Laboratory Work with Theory on

Academic Achievement in Secondary School Physics
(Pp. 412-419)

Stephen, Utibeabasi - Department of Science Education, University of Uyo,

Uyo
E-mail: [email protected]

Mboto, F. A. - Department of Curriculum and Instructional Technology,

Cross River State University of Technology, Calabar, Cross River State,
Nigeria

Abstract
This study was an attempt to investigate the effects of integrating laboratory
work with theory on academic achievement of secondary school physics
students. The study was conducted in Oron Local Government Area of Akwa
Ibom State, Nigeria. A total of one hundred and sixty two (162) senior
secondary two (SS2) physics students took part in the investigation. Two
researcher-made instruments, Physics Practical Achievement Test (PPAT)
and Physics Theory Achievement Test (PTAT) were used in gathering the
data for the study. The reliability of the instruments determined using
cronbach Alpha were 0.74 for PPAT and 0.81 for PTAT. Two hypotheses were
stated to guide the investigation and the data that accrued from the study
were analysed using independent t-test. The major findings of the study
showed that students taught physics by intergrating laboratory work with
theory performed better than those taught by treating practical work after
and separate from theory. Gender showed no significant effects. It was
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 therefore recommended that physics teachers should adopt the method of
integrating practical work with theory.
Background of the Study
The current shift in emphasis in science curricula objective reflecting
studentcentered process approach to science is a radical departure from the
traditional emphasis on the teacher-centered product approach. This new
trend requires that the students should be activity involved in the learning
process through adequate and meaningful hands-on-activities during every
classroom instruction in science. However, research reports show that
contrary to the demands of the new science curricula in Nigeria, our science
teachers still decide to split science instructions into theory and practical
(Njoku, 2004 and Uzoechi, 2004). The practical work, they observed, is
never attended to until the second term of the final year or few weeks to
public examinations. According to Ekpo (1999), any effort to separate
science into practical and theory lessons amount to perpetuating a dichotomy
which is antithesis of true science. Study reports show that such attempts
have resulted in most schools in Nigeria shifting practical work until the
second term of the final year (Ekpo, 1999; Galadina, 2003). The results have
been students’ persistent poor performance in physics particular and science
in general.
Reports from the West African Examination Council’s Chief Examiners for
the May/June Senior Secondary School Examination in Physics indicate a
persistent trend of students’ poor performance over the years (WAEC, 2002;
2003). The Chief Examiners attribute the persistent students’ poor
performance in physics to inadequate exposure to practical work and
exercises before examinations.
Statement of the Problem
There is a general paucity on research information on the relative effects of
integrating physics laboratory work with classroom instructions in the subject
compared to the traditional theory before practical work. This study is
therefore undertaken to provide empirical information on the relative effects
of integrating practical work with classroom instructions and keeping
practical work until after the theory on students’ achievement in secondary
school physics.
Purpose of the Study
Specifically, the study was undertaken to:
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 (1) Compare the achievement of secondary School Students in physics
when laboratory work is integrated with classroom instruction and
when laboratory work is done after and separate from the related
theory.
(2) Compare the achievement of male and female physics students
when practical work is integrated with classroom related theory.
Research Questions
(1) Do physics students differ in their academic achievement in physics
when laboratory work is integrated with the related theory and when
laboratory work is done after and separate from theory?
(2) Do male and female physics students differ in their academic
achievement when practical work is made an integral part of the
related theory?
Research Hypotheses
(1) There is no significant difference in the academic achievement of
students in physics when laboratory work is taught an integral part
of classroom instructions and when it is treated after and separate
from theory.
(2) There is no significant difference in academic achievement between
male and female physics students when practical work is treated as
an integral part of the related classroom theory.
Significance of the Study
The study will provide empirical evidence on the relative effects of
integrating practical work with theory in physics and treating it after and
separate from theory on students’ achievement in the subject. The empirical
evidence is expected to guide both curriculum designers and classroom
teachers.
Methodology
The Research Design used was the pre-test, post-test control group design.
The design is structurally represented below:
O1 x O2 (E)
O3 O4 (C)
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Where O1 and O3 are pretest measurement of experimental and control groups
respectively, O2 and O4 are posttest measurement of experimental and control
groups respectively and X is treatment.
The experiment was conducted in Oron Local Government Area of Akwa
Ibom State, Nigeria. Oron Local Government Area is bounded in the North,
East, West and South by Uruan, Okobo, Urue Offong Oruko and Mbo Local
Government Areas respectively, all in Akwa Ibom State. The choice of this
study Area, Oron Local Government Area was based on the familiarity of its
educational problem by the researcher. The choice of Oron is also based on
the believe that since it is far away from where a university is cited and
farther away from the state capital, schools in the area may not have
benefited enough from academic research.
The population of the study consisted of all senior secondary two (SS2)
Physics Students in Oron Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State,
Nigeria. This gave a population size of 400 students.
A total of one hundred and sixty two (162) senior secondary two (SS2)
physics students in four (4) intact classes from four (4) selected secondary
schools in the study area formed the sample for the study. Criterion sampling
technique was used in the selection of the four schools. The criteria were:
(a) Schools with functional physics laboratory;
and (b) Schools that are co-educational.
Random sampling technique was then used in selecting two of the intact
classes as experimental group and the other two as control group.
Two research instruments, Physics Theory Achievement Test (PTAT) and
practical physics Achievement Test (PPAT) were developed and used by the
researcher. Physics Theory Achievement Test was a fifty multiple choice
questions drawn from the selected physics concepts, elasticity, simple
harmonic motion, equilibrium moment, and refraction on plane surfaces.
The practical Physics Achievement Test consisted of four practical questions
drown from the four selected physics concepts. These were experimental:
(1) verification of Hook’s law;
(2) determination of acceleration due to gravity (g)
(3) determination of resultant of two forces; and
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(4) verification of smell’s law.
Each multiple question in the Physics Theory Achievement Test has five
options (a to e). A student was scored two marks (2%) for each correctly
answered question. Each practical question carried twenty five marks (25%).
The average score of each student was calculated from the student’s scores in
both Practical Physics Achievement Test (PPAT) and Physics Theory
Achievement Test (PTAT).
The instruments, PTAT and PPAT were given face-validation by four
experienced experts in physics education. The instruments were therefore
administered to a pilot sample of two SS2 Physics students randomly drawn
from two schools within the population of the study who were not part of the
study sample. The twenty SS2 Physics students were treated on the selected
physics concepts before the tests were administered on them. The reliability
coefficients of the tests determined using Cronbach Alpha were 0.74 for
PPAT and 0.81 for PTAT.
Research Procedure
The two groups of students, experimental and control groups were pre-tested.
The experimental group was taught the four selected physics concepts. After
being taught each concept the practical physics Achievement test on the
physics concept taught was administered on the respondents. The control
group was taught the four selected physics concepts and at the end of the
treatment, the PPAT was administered on the respondents. The PTAT was
then administered on both experimental and control groups at the end of all
treatment at the same time. The teaching lasted for eight weeks and in the 9 th
week; the control group was post tested on both PPAT and PTAT while the
experimental was post-tested on PPAT only since it had already been
posttested after each concept was taught.
Data Analysis
The data obtained were analysed using t-test at .05 significant level.
Hypothesis One
There is no significant difference in the academic achievement of students in
physics when laboratory work is taught as an integral part of classroom
instructions and when it is treated after and separate from theory.
The result in Table 1 showed that t-cal (2.92) was greater than t-crit (1.98) for a df
of 160 at .05 level of significance. Hypothesis one was therefore rejected
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 and this means that there is a significant effect of integrating laboratory work with
theory on academic achievement of students in physics.
Hypothesis Two
This hypothesis states that:
There is no significant difference in academic achievement between males
and female physics students when practical work is treated as an integral
part of the related classroom theory.
From table 2, t-calculated (0.56) was less than the t-critical (1.99) for df of
78 at .05 level of significance. Hypothesis two was therefore not rejected.
This implies that there is no significant difference in physics academic
achievement of male and female students when practical work is treated as an
integral part of the related classroom theory.
Discussion
The result in Table 1 shows that students taught by integrating practical work
in physics with theory achieved academically higher than those who were
exposed to practical work after and separate from theory. This is because the
method of integrating practical physics with theory is more or less a
demonstration method which encourages retention and easy transfer of
knowledge gained in theory class to practical class that followed
immediately. The learners find it easy to recall and link with practical task the
acquired theory knowledge, hence skills acquired and retained in this
observation is supported by Galadina (2003) and Njoku (2004). Gender
showed no significant difference in the study, Table 2. This is because female
physics students have been able to level up in their learning ability with male
counterpart. This is inconsonance with the early works done by Ekpo (1999)
and Uzoechi (2004).
Conclusion and Recommendation
The study was on effects of integrating laboratory work with theory an
academic achievement of physics students in secondary schools. Major
findings of the study showed that:
1. Integrating practical work with theory is more effective in enhancing
students’ achievement in physics than treating laboratory work after
and separate from theory.
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2. Gender of students showed no difference in achievement when both
male and female students are taught practical physics on integral part
of theory.
The recommendation therefore is that physics teachers should adopt the
method of integrating practical work with theory.
References
Ekpo, J. U. (1999). Status of secondary school science practical work in
Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, AJEIMA, 2(1); 12-29.
F. M. E. (2004). National Policy on Education. Lagos: NERDC Press.
Galadima, I. (2003). Gender inequality in algebraic word problem solving
performance among secondary school students in Sokoto and
Zamfara States. Journal of Curriculum Organization of Nigeria,
10(2); 457-460.
Njoku, Z. C. (2004). Fostering the application of science educational research
findings in Nigeria classrooms: Strategies and needs for teachers’
professional development. In M.A.G. Akale (ed) 45th Annual
Conference Proceedings of Science Teachers’ Association of
Nigeria, pp 217 – 222. Ibadan: HEB Plc.
W.A.E.C. (2002). Chief Examiners’ report for 2002 May/June Senior School
Certificate Examinations Lagos: West African Examination Council.

Vol. 4 (4), Serial No. 17, October, 2010. Pp 412-419

Table 1: T-test comparison of physics academic Achievement of students

taught by integrating practical work with theory and those taught practical
work after and separate from theory.
Source of variation N X S df t-cal t-crit Decision at
P <.05
Experimental group 80 63.8 13.5
Versus
160 2.92 1.98 *
Control group
82 56.2 11.9

* = Significant at P < .05

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 Table 2: t-test comparison of physics academic Achievement of male and
female students when practical work is treated as an integral part of the
related classroom theory.
Source of variation N X S df t-cal t-crit Decision
at P <.05
Male in experimental 50 61.5 13.9
group versus 30 59.7 13.1
Female in 78 0.56 1.99 NS
experimental group

NS = Not Significant at Significant at P < .05

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