THE EFFECTS OF OUTDOOR PHYSICS ACTIVITIES ON SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS STUDENTS

PHYSICS EDUCATION

THE EFFECTS OF OUTDOOR PHYSICS ACTIVITIES ON SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS (A CASE STUDY OF BADAGRY LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF LAGOS STATE)

ABSTRACT

The study investigated The effects of outdoor physics activities on senior secondary school students in Badagry Local Government Area of Lagos State. Four (4) schools were randomly selected within the study area, while eighty (80) students were used as respondents, structured questionnaire were used to generate data which was analysed. The findings of the study revealed that outdoor physics activities plays vital role in educating, enlightening, informing and entertaining of students in achieving their goals in life, it also enable students to have favorable attitude towards science as effective tool of learning and teaching. The result also help students to have direct encounter with first hand work and arouse their interest and attitude towards particular occupation of their interest. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that adequate equipment should be made available in practical laboratories in schools, teacher should engage the students in outdoor physics, funds should be made available by government, proprietors/proprietress for infrastructure to promote outdoor physics. Also teacher of all levels of education should be made to undergo in-service training and improvise in absence of materials.

 

TABLE OF CONTENT

TITLE PAGE                                                             I

CERTIFICATION                                                      II

DEDICATION                                                           III

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT                                             IV

ABSTRACT                                                               V

TABLE OF CONTENT                                                        VI

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY                              1

1.2    STATEMENT OF PROBLEM                                   8

1.3    PURPOSE OF THE STUDY                                    9

1.4    RESEARCH QUESTIONS                                       9

1.5    HYPOTHESIS                                                     10

1.6    SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY                             11

1.7    SCOPE/DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY                  11

1.8    DEFINITION OF TERMS                                       12

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1    VISUALIZING AND MODELING OUTDOOR PHYSICS

ACTIVITIES BY INFORMATION AND

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)                  13

2.2    LABORATORY WORK AS OUTDOOR

PHYSICS ACTIVITIES                                          15

2.3    THE FIELD TRIP AS OUTDOOR PHYSICS

ACTIVITIES                                                        25

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1    RESEARCH DESIGN                                            32

3.2    POPULATION AND SAMPLE                                  32

3.3    INSTRUMENTATION USED IN DATA COLLECTION   33

3.5    METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS                               34

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION                                36

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1    SUMMARY                                                          43

5.2    CONCLUSION                                                     45

5.3    RECOMMENDATIONS                                          46

REFERENCES

APPENDIX

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

This project discussed the development of an approach aimed at teaching inquiry oriented physics based on students practical activities undertaken in an outdoor environment.

Physics is considered a difficult subject demanding much effort from the students. Previous research indicates that many students perceive Physics mainly as applied mathematics and with limited application to everyday life (Popou, Zackrisson and Otofsson, 2000). Teaching physics outdoors allows students to investigate physical phenomena in the natural settings of their daily life.  Students can be trained to see the problems of physics in all reality around them and not restrict themselves to technical applications as they often do.  Students can learn the logic of the laws of physics that govern nature while being in Nature. Previous researches shown that students of both sexes are interested in outdoor activities.

A survey study conducted in Umea supported by the Visbly programme grant in 2001 shows the most Swedish students’ teachers have an interest in open-air activities and have had broad experience in nature (Popov, 2002).  This needs to be better exploited in the interest of science education.

Research also shows that a variety of natural settings can be effectively used for students’ investigations outdoors such as schoolyards, playgrounds, gardens, zoos and amusement parks.  (Nilsson, Pendrill, Petersson, 2006).

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Physics field experiences can be found both in natural settings and urban environment. The pedagogical potential of a “physics trail” in a city has been explored by foster (1989). Slingsby (2006) expresses his conviction that “the future of school science lies outdoors”.

A power trend across countries is the rapidly expanding use of information and communication technology (ICT) in education and schools science education is gradually changing because of the computer programs. CDROM and educational games also provide a broad repertoire of teaching methods available to school, classes and individual. The key characteristic of many of these new tools in interactivity, which allows the process of learning to become more individualized.

Visual representation of phenomena and data are used widely in ICT to support science education. This “Language for eye” has the purpose of storing, interpreting and communicating science information

Therefore, it is important to reinforce outdoors learning/teaching using computer visualization and modeling.

Physics outdoor activities can be important to understand the nature of science. students face situation genius inquiry where they have to make right decisions at the right time above different elements of inquiry posing researchable questions, using proper equipment doing data collection and analysis.

In the outdoor environment, there are no predefined experimental settings and predefined stages in the data collection and analysis. Consider a task of measuring sound level in (dB) of ocean waves. what is proper approach to this measurement? Is it ok to take just any instant value or it should be averaged for long period of time (how long – 305 per minute or more) students are facing challenges to think like scientist. They need to discuss and make decision about choices and limitation of their data collections process. Which factors and how might it influence their measurement? Does measurement done by different groups coincide?

How should they communicate their result? What is the right value? What are the sources of error? How to minimize them. Can it be possible to make error free measurement and in what condition? What is impact of the measurement instrument on the results? Many of these issues come naturally up in the in the outdoor physics activities and students’ guided discussion.

In terms of providing schools with functional laboratories reading equipments, study material which are up to date, inter-school competition of science oriented topics centered on discoveries and applications of theoretical laws which governs the universe (or universal laws) to read more of science materials about inventions made by earlier scientist in order to increase their intellectual capacity in the world of science, where the government fails in their own part of procurement of these highlighted provisions. The implication of the government irresponsibility coupled with bad policies of government means that student whom may want to become physicist would have their dream shattered. The helplessness of the student makes them to look for alternative way.

Therefore, there is the need for the use of outdoor physics activities, laboratory practical activities, field trip/natural environment and information and communication technology (ICT)

According to Adeniyi (2003) the process of learning and teaching which apply to any subject field as:

  1. To teach skills.
  2. To present facts
  3. To organize knowledge and concepts.
  4. To stimulate imagination and.
  5. To develop attitude or to change existing ones.
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The above listed purposes offer the three major domains of instructional objectives cognitive, effective and psychomotor domains.

Hence the intention of the teacher is to impact knowledge into students. The cognitive, effective and psychomotor domain in order word are the acquired knowledge of learners through the intelligence in the academic, social and physical balance in all spheres of human endeavors, learners get enthuse about something they discover on their own without being told by the teacher and when they do the discovery by themselves or provide solution to lingering problem hardly would they forget.

1.2   STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

What are the problems facing the outdoor physics activities on our various colleges? Could the problem be as a result of non – availability of materials in terms of finance and necessary material needed for “outdoor physics activities”.

However, this study will specially provide answers to the following questions.

  1. What are the significant of outdoor physics activities?
  2. Does funds and materials available for outdoor physics activities?
  3. What are the effects of government on outdoor physics activities?
  4. What are the roles of teachers towards the outdoor physics activities?
  5. What are the effects of outdoor physics activities on senior secondary school students?

1.3   PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

                The purpose of the study is summarized as follows:

  1. To investigate the need for the use of outdoor physics activities for improvement of teaching and learning in physics in senior secondary schools.
  2. To find out the attitude of students towards outdoor physics activities in senior secondary schools.

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTIONS

  1. What are the effects of outdoor physics activities on the improvement of teaching and learning in senior secondary schools?
  2. What is the attitude of students towards outdoor physics activities?

1.5   HYPOTHESIS

Ho1:  There is no significant difference between the attitude of students that engaged in practical activities and those that engage in classroom learning in physics in senior secondary schools.

Ho2:  There is no significant difference in attitude of students using computer visualization and modeling and students that engage in classroom learning in physics in senior secondary schools.

Ho3:  There is no significant difference in attitude of students that engages in field-trip and those that engage in classroom learning.

1.6   SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The result of this study will provide basis for effective guidance for the government, principals, proprietors/ proprietress and teachers to enforce the use of outdoor physics activities in senior secondary schools.

1.7   SCOPE/DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This study was delimited to resident of Badagry Local Government Area of Lagos State. Information will be collected from four randomly selected senior secondary schools with sets of students selected from each school.

1.8   DEFINITION OF TERMS

We consider some terms which are used in this study which must be broken down as it relates to the field of study.

  1. IT: It means information technology
  2. ICT: Means information and communication technology
  • LEARNING: This is a process of active engagement of knowledge with experience
  1. TEACHING: This is act and art of impacting information or skills to the learners
  2. OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: This is practical activities instead of classroom or verbal teaching and it involve laboratory activities, field trip, excursion, computer visualization and modeling using IT and ICT
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