Assessing Science Process Skills of Biology Students in Selected Biology Topics in Senior High Schools in Asante- Mampong Municipality.

Abstract

This study assessed the science process skills (SPS) proficiency among senior high school biology students in Ghana specifically Ashanti Mampong. The research employs a quantitative approach to assess the science process skills among senior high school biology students. Using a sample of 118 students, the study evaluated three primary Science Process Skills; Observation, Classification, and Measurement. The findings demonstrated considerable differences in students' performance across the three assessed science process skills. Observation skills was determined to be the most developed, followed by classification, while measuring skills had the lowest performance levels. ANOVA findings showed statistically significant variations in students' performance across different the three skills (F = 133.31, p = 0.001), showing that the observation and classification skills are more easily learned than the measurement skills. Furthermore, a gender-based study revealed that while male and female students fared equally in observation (p = 0.04) and classification (p= 0.83), there were significant variations in their measuring abilities. These disparities point to possible gaps in practical experience and teaching methodologies in scientific education. The study emphasizes the importance of focused treatments to increase students' science process skills, particularly measurement-related activities that are required for laboratory-based learning. The findings indicate that including more hands-on, inquiry-based learning experiences into the biology curriculum may improve science process skills development.