A Psychometric Assessment of Factors Contributing to Learning Challenges in Atomic and Nuclear Physics among Senior High School Students.

Abstract

This study investigated the challenges senior high school students in Atwima Nwabiagya Municipality face in learning atomic and nuclear physics, identifying contributing factors, their relative impact, and establishing psychometric evidence for the identified challenges and contributing factors. The exploratory sequential design, combining qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys was employed. Findings revealed significant challenges in conceptual understanding, problem-solving, and mathematics ematical demands, with a composite mean score of 4.26 (SD = 0.409). There were five factors that impacted students‟ challenges: the difficulty of the content, the manner/content in which it was delivered, the learning resources or materials used, the students‟ attitudes and interest, and the way in which they were assessed. A relative weight analysis showed that there were two most important factors. If we take into account that difficulty of content was the independent variable, the dependent variable was students‟ challenges, and then stage two was the relative weight. Thus, learning resources was shown to account for 49.04, p = 0.0187 and students‟ attitude/interest was 43.12, p = 0.0308 (41.8% of the variance accounted for). The "Students' Challenge Questionnaire" and "Factors Contributing to Students' Challenge Questionnaire" were developed and designed along with the result of the first study and showed excellent psychometric property. A seven factor structure explained 66.979% of the variance, it had a reasonable empirical fit (CFI = 0.964, RMSEA = 0.052) and reasonable reliability (Cronbach's Alpha = 0.740 - 0.923). It was therefore concluded that students‟ struggles are multifaceted, stemming from both the inherent nature of the subject and external factors. Also, the developed and validated instrument provides a reliable tool for diagnosing these challenges, offering a data-driven foundation for educators and policymakers to design targeted interventions. It was also recommended amongst others, that researchers and educators refine these instruments and explore interventions across diverse contexts to improve the learning of atomic and nuclear physics in Ghana.