Comparative study of the Mr-Sr Based Pimca Model and the conventional approach on students’ performance and attitude in optics.

Abstract

The study compared the MR-SR Based PIMCA Model and the Conventional Teaching Approach on academic performance and Attitude of Senior High School Physics Students in optics in Mampong Municipality and Sekyere South District, both in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. This research study employed the non-equivalent groups pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. Samples of 164 SHS two Physics students drawn from four intact classes were used for the study. Two research instruments, known as Optics Concepts Achievement Test (OCAT) and the Optics Learning Attitude Questionnaire (OLAQ) were used to gather data for the study. The study comprised of one research question and three hypotheses. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation and mean difference were used to answer the research question, while one-way between groups analysis of covariance (one-way ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses. The results revealed that students taught using MR-SR Based PIMCA model performed better in the Optics ConceptsAchievement Test (OCAT) than those taught using conventional approach (F(1,161)= 129.090, p=0.000<0.05). There was no gender (F(1,72)= 0.319, p=0.574>0.05) and ability (F(1,49)= 0.44, p=0.835>0.05) differences in academic performance on the use of MR-SR Based PIMCA model. It was also found from the pre-intervention (M= 1.0531, SD= 0.06033) and postintervention (M=3.7686, SD=0.12531) questionnaire responses that the PIMCA model enhanced students’ positive attitude towards Physics. Using the Model was concluded to be more effective than the conventional teaching approach in enhancing SHS students’ academic performance and attitude in optics. It was therefore recommended among others that Physics teachers in the Mampong Municipality and Sekeyere South District should use the MR-SR Based PIMCA model to teach optics and other challenging Physics concepts in the Senior High School.