CHAPTER ONE

Background to the Study

Science is very important in everyday life. It forms part of the curriculum of Ghanaian schools.

Science syllabus published by the Ministry of Education in September, 2007 (page 16) states that

energy is the ability to do work and causes things to move, give light and give sound. Lack of

energy leads to inactivity and sometimes death. The development of areas of life is based on

science. This is because man uses improvised materials on the environment with scientific

materials and methods.

The economy of the nation depends greatly on scientific process. In fact no meaningful

development can take place without the knowledge of science. Science has solved and will

continue to solve some of the world’s problems in general and problems related to the economy

as a whole.

In physics, energy is one of the basic quantitative properties describing a physical system or

object's state. Energy can be transformed (converted) among a number of forms that may each

manifest and be measurable in differing ways. The law of conservation of energy states that the

(total) energy of a system can increase or decrease only by transferring it in or out of the system.

The total energy of a system can be calculated by simple addition when it is composed of

multiple non-interacting parts or has multiple distinct forms of energy. Common energy forms

include the kinetic energy of a moving object, the radiant energy carried by light and other

electromagnetic radiation, and various types of potential energy such as gravitational and elastic.

Energy is measured in SI units of joules (J). Common types of energy transfer and

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transformation include processes such as heating a material, performing mechanical work on an

object, generating or making use of electric energy, and many chemical reactions.

Units of measurement for energy are usually defined via a work process. The work performed by

a given body on another is defined in physics as the force (SI unit: newton) applied by the given

body, multiplied by the distance (SI unit: metre) of movement against the opposing force exerted

by the other body. Thus, the energy unit is the newton-metre, which is called the joule. The SI

unit of power (energy per unit time) is the watt, which is simply a joule per second. Thus, a joule

is a watt-second, so 3600 joules equal a watt-hour. The CGS energy unit is the erg, and the

imperial and US customary unit is the foot pound. Other energy units such as the electron volt,

food calorie or thermodynamic kcal (based on the temperature change of water in a heating

process), and BTU are used in specific areas of science and commerce and have unit conversion

factors relating them to the joule.

Potential energy is energy stored by virtue of the position of an object in a force field, such as a

gravitational, electric or magnetic field (Wikipedia, 2013). For example, lifting an object against

gravity performs work on the object and stores gravitational potential energy; if it falls, gravity

does work on the object which transforms the potential energy to kinetic energy associated with

its speed. Some specific forms of energy include elastic energy due to the stretching or

deformation of solid objects, chemical energy such as is released when a fuel burns, and thermal

energy, the microscopic kinetic and potential energies of the disordered motions of the particles

making up matter.

Not all of the energy in a system can be transformed or transferred by a work process; the

amount that can is called the available energy. In particular the second law of thermodynamics

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limits the amount thermal energy that can be transformed into other forms of energy. Mechanical

and other forms of energy can be transformed in the other direction into thermal energy without

such limitations (Wikipedia, 2013).

Any object that has mass when stationary (thus called rest mass), equivalently has rest energy as

can be calculated using Albert Einstein's equation E = mc2. Being a form of energy, rest energy

can be transformed to or from other forms of energy, while the total amount of energy does not

change. From this perspective, the amount of matter in the universe contributes to its total

energy.

Similarly, all energy manifests as a proportionate amount of mass. For example, adding 25

kilowatt-hours (90 megajoules) of any form of energy to an object increases its mass by 1

microgram. If you had a sensitive enough mass balance or scale, this mass increase could be

measured. Our Sun (or a nuclear bomb) transforms nuclear potential energy to other forms of

energy; its total mass doesn't decrease due to that in itself (since it still contains the same total

energy even if in different forms), but its mass does decrease when the energy escapes out to it

surroundings, largely as radiant energy (Wikipedia, 2013).

A new form of energy can't be defined arbitrarily. In order to be valid, it must be shown to be

transformable to or from a predictable amount of some known form(s) of energy, thus showing

how much energy it represents in the same units used for all other forms. It must obey

conservation of energy, so it must never decrease or increase except via such a transformation (or

transfer). Also, if an alleged new form of energy can be shown not to change the mass of a

system in proportion to its energy, then it is not a form of energy.

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Living organisms require available energy to stay alive; humans get such energy from food along

with the oxygen needed to metabolize it. Civilization requires a supply of energy to function;

energy resources such as fossil fuels are a vital topic in economics and politics. Earth's climate

and ecosystem are driven by the radiant energy Earth receives from the sun, and are sensitive to

changes in the amount received (Wikipedia, 2013).

Energy which is essential for life and economic activity is derived mainly from the sun and other

sources, consequently energy is taught in science as a topic.

Perceived Problem

The researcher was shocked when pupils were asked for the meaning of energy and they could

not explain the concept “energy”. The researcher therefore decided to investigate and discover

the causes of the pupils’ inability to understand the concept of energy.

Problem diagnosis

The researcher seeks to conduct vigorous interview sessions with pupils and other teaching staff

to discover the problems of students in understanding the concept of “energy”. The researcher

also intends to use direct observation and class exercises to determine the extent to which

intervention used are solving the problem of pupils in the understanding of the concept of

energy.

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Evidence of the problem

The researcher asked gave a class test on the concept of energy and the performance of pupils

was very poor. About 85% of the pupils in the classroom scored below the average marks

( 5/10).

The researcher also realized that students could not relate their understanding of the concept of

energy to their normal live activities and even the environment at large.

Causes of the Problem

The researcher found the following causes of the pupils problems as:

The wrong perception that science is a difficult field of study and this affects them

psychologically. For example, some pupils think that science is for brilliant pupils and they

would consider themselves lucky if they manage to pass a class test in science.

Also, the abstract nature of lesson presentations by teachers and poor working attitude among

some teachers accounts for the reasons why pupils do not perform well in basic science concepts.

Objectives of the study

The researcher carried out this research work with the following objectives.

By the end of the intervention process form one pupils in Kpalbe Islamic Junior high School will

be able to:

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 (i) Define energy

(ii) Mention the unit of measurement for energy

(iii) Identify forms of energy

(iv) Describe with the use of practical activities to illustrate the concept of energy.

Purpose of the Study

The inability of the pupils to explain the concept energy was quite alarming and the researcher

found it necessary to take up the challenge to find out the causes of the problem and come out

with appropriate techniques and solutions that would help the pupils of Kpalbe Junior High

school form one pupil’s to understand the concept energy.

Research Questions

The questions that the researcher sought to provide solutions to at the end of the study are as

follows:

1. What are the causes of Kpalbe Junior High school form one pupil’s inability to

understand the concept energy?

2. What special teaching learning materials should be used to help them understand the

concept?

3. What teaching techniques or methods should teachers use to enable pupils understand the

concept of energy?

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Significance of the Study

Energy is very vital in our daily activities and for that matter children are required to understand

the concept so that they can generate some energy when necessary. After studying and critically

understanding the concept, children will apply their knowledge in conserving energy at homes,

offices, schools and other places.

Also, pupils will understand the various forms of energy and these forms may apply in

developing lessons like ours.

Delimitation

I was confined to all pupils of Kpalbe Junior High school form one who had difficulties in

understanding energy as a concept. Delimiting my research work to all pupils was base on the

problem identified in the worse form; they were those who faced difficulties in understanding the

concept energy.

Time was another factor that I should consider. This is because I realized that involving the

pupils in one-to-one instruction would be very effective in resolving their problem but this could

mean less time for one-to-one instruction. This may result in ineffectiveness of the study.

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Organization of the Study

The researcher’s work has a wider coverage comprising five (5) main chapters. The first chapter

contains the introduction, which is made of background to the study, the perceived problem,

problem diagnosis, evidence of the problem, causes of the problem, objectives, purpose of the

study, research questions, and significance of the study, delimitation and finally organization of

the study. The second chapter deals with their review of the related literature. The third chapter,

methodology deals with how the teaching aids and strategies are used in the intervention process

towards solving the problem. Chapter four explains extensively the researcher’s findings and

results and the last chapter, chapter five gives summary, conclusions and recommendations on

how the project can be improved.

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 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

The concept of energy

The word energy derives from the Greek ἐνέργεια energeia, which possibly appears for the first

time in the work of Aristotle in the 4th century BCE. (Ancient Greek:

ἐνέργεια energeia “activity, operation”)

The concept of energy emerged from the idea of vis viva (living force), which Gottfried Leibniz

defined as the product of the mass of an object and its velocity squared; he believed that total vis

viva was conserved. To account for slowing due to friction, Leibniz theorized that thermal

energy consisted of the random motion of the constituent parts of matter, a view shared by Isaac

Newton, although it would be more than a century until this was generally accepted.

In 1807, Thomas Young was possibly the first to use the term "energy" instead of vis viva, in its

modern sense. Gustave-Gaspard Coriolis described "kinetic energy" in 1829 in its modern sense,

and in 1853, William Rankine coined the term "potential energy".

The law of conservation of energy, was first postulated in the early 19th century, and applies to

any isolated system. According to Noether's theorem, the conservation of energy is a

consequence of the fact that the laws of physics do not change over time.[3] Since 1918 it has

been known that the law of conservation of energy is the direct mathematical consequence of the

translational symmetry of the quantity conjugate to energy, namely time.

It was argued for some years whether energy was a substance (the caloric) or merely a physical

quantity, such as momentum. In 1845 James Prescott Joule discovered the link between

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mechanical work and the generation of heat. This led to the theory of conservation of energy, and

development of the first law of thermodynamics.

Finally, William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) amalgamated these many discoveries into the laws of

thermodynamics, which aided the rapid development of explanations of chemical processes by

Rudolf Clausius, Josiah Willard Gibbs, and Walther Nernst. It also led to a mathematical

formulation of the concept of entropy by Clausius and to the introduction of laws of radiant

energy by Jožef Stefan.

During a 1961 lecture for undergraduate students at the California Institute of Technology,

Richard Feynman, a celebrated physics teacher and Nobel Laureate, said this about the concept

of energy:

There is a fact, or if you wish, a law, governing all natural phenomena that are known to date.

There is no known exception to this law—it is exact so far as we know. The law is called the

conservation of energy. It states that there is a certain quantity, which we call energy, that does

not change in manifold changes which nature undergoes. That is a most abstract idea, because it

is a mathematical principle; it says that there is a numerical quantity which does not change

when something happens. It is not a description of a mechanism, or anything concrete; it is just a

strange fact that we can calculate some number and when we finish watching nature go through

her tricks and calculate the number again, it is the same.

Natty etal (2001) stated that energy can be explained to JHS form one pupils by using materials

such as tables and chairs, in the classroom by asking pupils some questions relevant to their

previous knowledge like “what enables you to do your daily activities such as walking, running

and playing? Answer: Energy. Then guide pupils to perform activities like pulling and pushing

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of tables and chairs, lifting of chairs and tables or running round the school to understand the

meaning of energy.

Yeboah etal,(2003) also observed that energy can be explained to pupils by asking them

questions like “what is energy? In walking and dancing, we need something to enable us do these

activities. Food on the other hand also provides us something that enables us to do work, dance

and lift things. That is termed as energy. Therefore energy is the ability to work.

Apart from these, Alhassan etal (2001) states that a system can only do work when it possesses

energy. This energy is mainly obtained from the sun which is the nearest star to the earth. A

magnifying glass can be used to focus sunlight on to a sheet of paper to show evidence of the

presence of light and heat energy. Heat and light energy can also be obtained from fires. Energy

shows itself in different forms known as forms of energy.

In addition, Adams (1993) observed that energy involves a lot of changes in our daily live. For

example, when moving ball hits a stationary ball its energy may not move the stationary ball.

Heat energy can change liquid to gas and so many activities involving changes because of

energy. Energy may change a substance from one form to another depending on the type of

changes that take place.

Amar etal (1986) observed that energy is very important to human life and we use energy from

different sources. We use energy from firewood to prepare our food which intends gives us

energy that we use for working. Plants also use sunlight as their source of energy to produce their

food and store some for use. Energy from charcoal, kerosene, candles, electricity and some

animals such as bullocks also help man. All these forms of energy can be changed from one form

to another but cannot be destroyed.

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Despite the attempts made by many people to explain energy as a concept, there are still some

potholes left behind in some of their works. The work of Yeboah etal (2003) is questionable

because they did not make any use of teaching and learning materials (TLMs) that may enable

pupils to understand the concept. More to the point, science is a practical subject which needs a

lot of activities involving teaching learning materials to equip pupils with concrete ideas of

scientific concepts like energy were lacking.

The work of Amar etal (1986) is not left out because he dealt with the importance of energy

which may be considered as useless because teaching must start from known to unknown so that

pupils may understand what energy is before they can learn how energy is useful to them.

Apart from this works, the researcher is not satisfied with the work of Alhassan etal (2001) due

to their inability to handle energy as a whole concept but rather picked only a small component

of energy such as light energy and heat energy. In my opinion pupils must understand the

meaning of energy before they can think about different forms of energy.

Also, Adams (1993) expressed his views about energy changes in our daily lives without

providing evidence of energy to children.

Energy in various contexts

Chemistry

In the context of chemistry, energy is an attribute of a substance as a consequence of its atomic,

molecular or aggregate structure. Since a chemical transformation is accompanied by a change in

one or more of these kinds of structure, it is invariably accompanied by an increase or decrease

12
of energy of the substances involved. Some energy is transferred between the surroundings and

the reactants of the reaction in the form of heat or light; thus the products of a reaction may have

more or less energy than the reactants. A reaction is said to be exergonic if the final state is lower

on the energy scale than the initial state; in the case of endergonic reactions the situation is the

reverse. Chemical reactions are invariably not possible unless the reactants surmount an energy

barrier known as the activation energy. The speed of a chemical reaction (at given temperature T)

is related to the activation energy E, by the Boltzmann's population factor e−E/kT – that is the

probability of molecule to have energy greater than or equal to E at the given temperature T. This

exponential dependence of a reaction rate on temperature is known as the Arrhenius

equation.The activation energy necessary for a chemical reaction can be in the form of thermal

energy.

Biology

In biology, energy is an attribute of all biological systems from the biosphere to the smallest

living organism. Within an organism it is responsible for growth and development of a biological

cell or an organelle of a biological organism. Energy is thus often said to be stored by cells in the

structures of molecules of substances such as carbohydrates (including sugars), lipids, and

proteins, which release energy when reacted with oxygen in respiration. In human terms, the

human equivalent (H-e) (Human energy conversion) indicates, for a given amount of energy

expenditure, the relative quantity of energy needed for human metabolism, assuming an average

human energy expenditure of 12,500kJ per day and a basal metabolic rate of 80 watts. For

example, if our bodies run (on average) at 80 watts, then a light bulb running at 100 watts is

running at 1.25 human equivalents (100 ÷ 80) i.e. 1.25 H-e. For a difficult task of only a few

seconds' duration, a person can put out thousands of watts, many times the 746 watts in one

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official horsepower. For tasks lasting a few minutes, a fit human can generate perhaps 1,000

watts. For an activity that must be sustained for an hour, output drops to around 300; for an

activity kept up all day, 150 watts is about the maximum.[6] The human equivalent assists

understanding of energy flows in physical and biological systems by expressing energy units in

human terms: it provides a “feel” for the use of a given amount of energy[7]

Earth sciences

In geology, continental drift, mountain ranges, volcanoes, and earthquakes are phenomena that

can be explained in terms of energy transformations in the Earth's interior.,[8] while

meteorological phenomena like wind, rain, hail, snow, lightning, tornadoes and hurricanes, are

all a result of energy transformations brought about by solar energy on the atmosphere of the

planet Earth.

Cosmology

In cosmology and astronomy the phenomena of stars, nova, supernova, quasars and gamma ray

bursts are the universe's highest-output energy transformations of matter. All stellar phenomena

(including solar activity) are driven by various kinds of energy transformations. Energy in such

transformations is either from gravitational collapse of matter (usually molecular hydrogen) into

various classes of astronomical objects (stars, black holes, etc.), or from nuclear fusion (of lighter

elements, primarily hydrogen).

Energy exists in many forms

In the context of physical sciences, several forms of energy have been defined. These include:

 Kinetic (≥0), that of the motion of a body

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  Potential, a category comprising many forms in this list

 Mechanical, the sum of (usually macroscopic) kinetic and potential energies

 Mechanical wave (≥0), a form of mechanical energy propagated by a material's

oscillations, e.g. that of ocean surface waves or that of sound

 Chemical

 Electric

 Magnetic

 Radiant (≥0), that of electromagnetic radiation including light

 Nuclear, that of binding nucleons to form the atomic nucleus

 Ionization, that of binding an electron to its atom or molecule

 Elastic

 Gravitational

 Intrinsic, the rest energy (≥0) equivalent to an object's rest mass

 Thermal, a microscopic equivalent of mechanical energy

Thermal energy is energy of microscopic constituents of matter, which may include both kinetic

and potential energy.

 Heat is just that amount of thermal energy being transferred (in a given process) in the

direction of decreasing temperature.

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  Mechanical work is just that amount of (mechanical) energy being transferred (in a given

process) due to displacement in the direction of an applied force.

Some entries in the above list constitute or comprise others in the list. The list is not necessarily

complete. Whenever physical scientists discover that a certain phenomenon appears to violate

the law of energy conservation, new forms are typically added that account for the discrepancy.

Heat and work are special cases in that they are not properties of systems, but are instead

properties of processes that transfer energy. In general we cannot measure how much heat or

work are present in an object, but rather only how much energy is transferred among objects in

certain ways during the occurrence of a given process. Heat and work are measured as positive

or negative depending on which side of the transfer we view them from.

Classical mechanics distinguishes between kinetic energy, which is determined by an object's

movement through space, and potential energy, which is a function of the position of an object

within a field, which may itself be related to the arrangement of other objects or particles. These

include gravitational energy (which is stored in the way masses are arranged in a gravitational

field), several types of nuclear energy (which utilize potentials from the nuclear force and the

weak force), electric energy (from the electric field), and magnetic energy (from the magnetic

field).

Other familiar types of energy are a varying mix of both potential and kinetic energy. An

example is mechanical energy which is the sum of (usually macroscopic) kinetic and potential

energy in a system. Elastic energy in materials is also dependent upon electrical potential energy

(among atoms and molecules), as is chemical energy, which is stored and released from a

16
reservoir of electrical potential energy between electrons, and the molecules or atomic nuclei that

attract them.

Potential energies are often measured as positive or negative depending on whether they are

greater or less than the energy of a specified base state or configuration such as two interacting

bodies being infinitely far apart.

Wave energies (such as radiant or sound energy), kinetic energy, and rest energy are each greater

than or equal to zero because they are measured in comparison to a base state of zero energy: "no

wave", "no motion", and "no inertia", respectively.

It has been attempted to categorize all forms of energy as either kinetic or potential, but as

Richard Feynman points out:

These notions of potential and kinetic energy depend on a notion of length scale. For example,

one can speak of macroscopic potential and kinetic energy, which do not include thermal

potential and kinetic energy. Also what is called chemical potential energy is a macroscopic

notion, and closer examination shows that it is really the sum of the potential and kinetic energy

on the atomic and subatomic scale. Similar remarks apply to nuclear "potential" energy and most

other forms of energy. This dependence on length scale is non-problematic if the various length

scales are decoupled, as is often the case ... but confusion can arise when different length scales

are coupled, for instance when friction converts macroscopic work into microscopic thermal

energy.

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The Pupils’ Inability to Understand Basic Science Concepts

Pupils should dominate in activities during lessons, that are answering questions orally, writing,

discussions of pictures and chats, drawing, modeling using learning aids like chats, cards,

cassettes and engaging pupils in experiments. The activities can be done individually or in

groups. Out of the lots teaching methods, the activity method has been adopted.

Dunedin (2002), enumerated the following reasons for choice of activity method; the child is the

central focus in the delivery stage of lesson, thus children are recede to perform activities. The

level of pupils intellectual attainments are considered when lesson is been delivered. At the

primary school, children cannot sit for long periods to listen to the teacher or even learn, they

need short term breaks for various activities that they like to perform activities. The activity

method therefore fits into their natural setting. Children become highly motivated when they are

able to perform activities and get praises from teachers and friends in the process of teaching and

learning of science hence covered both teacher and child centred methods of teaching.

According to Nartey and Menyah (2003) the reasons for using activity method to teach the basic

levels are as follows:

The activity method takes into consideration learners’ natural tendency to explore and play, in

addition, the activity method also takes into consideration the learners’ previous knowledge and

experience and also cater for individual difference and abilities.

The researcher therefore decides to use this method, thus, the activity method to teach his pupils

because of its advantages over other methods.

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Methods of Teaching Science in Basic School

This study supports research (Ünal & Coştu, 2005) that has emphasised the need to target

students‟ misconceptions about scientific concepts. The literature (e.g., see California Journal of

Science Education, 2005, which devotes Volume 5 Issue 2 to “Dealing with science

misconceptions”) highlights targeting students‟ misconceptions as an effective science teaching

practice. This study showed that challenging students‟ understandings created an impact on

learning about science concepts. For example, Participant 26 testified, “In about grade 5, we did

an experiment to see if it was possible to blow triangular or square shaped bubbles. This was

successful in proving me wrong because I thought it was possible.” The experimental challenge

to the misconception was indelibly printed on the learner‟s mind. Participant 50 wrote, “We

learnt about the development of the egg to chick. I thought the egg yolk became the chick‟s

internal parts and egg white became the chick‟s external parts.” Further evidence for targeting

students‟ misconceptions can be provided through concept mapping or asking students to write

on a topic prior to commencing a science unit of work.

Enthusiasm from the teacher

Teacher enthusiasm for a subject can play a role in students‟ likes or dislikes of a subject and

their memory of the subject. Before discussing this enthusiasm, the adults in this study had

mixed feelings about their own primary science education with seven specifically claiming they

could not remember doing science in primary school, which may have to do with the age of the

participants (i.e., six of these respondents were >40 years old). These participants, who could not

remember a primary science lesson, responded accordingly, “I cannot remember, but I am sure it

was ok - I have not been turned off for life” (Participant 98). Others purported that science was

19
more “embedded into the KLAs [Key Learning Areas]”. One participant stated without any

context to the science taught, “Yes, it was interesting and no because it was repetitive”

(Participant 39). Conversely, 16 participants acknowledged the teachers‟ enthusiastic nature for

teaching science. Those who emphasised teacher enthusiasm highlighted positive experiences in

science, while the reverse occurred for those who experienced unenthusiastic teachers.

The following three responses were typical of positive experiences in primary science education

and each emphasised teacher enthusiasm as key to the process of learning: “Although we did not

do much science study, when we did it was always interesting and educational because of the

teachers” (Participant 112); “I thoroughly enjoyed all of the science investigation undertaken at

primary school. The teachers and students were enthusiastic about science, and the science

experiences were made relevant to life” (Participant 116); and “I remember studying the solar

system a number of times, but the most interesting time was when we studied it in grade 6 and

that was due to my creative, enthusiastic teacher who made learning a great adventure”

(Participant 14). On the other hand, a typical negative response indicated the experience to be:

“Not positive because the teacher was boring and failed to get my interest. It made me feel like a

failure” (Participant 159).

Group work

As science knowledge is socially constructed (e.g., Vygotsky, 1986), group involvement seemed

to have an impact on these participants‟ long-term memories. The discovery or investigation of

science with peers provided opportunities for social interaction and an element of fun, for

instance, Participant 120 wrote, “Experimenting with magnets. It was a fun group activity”.

Participant 72 also highlighted her experience of interacting with her peers with the science

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behind the activity, “Standing on an upside down table on top of balloons and adding more

people until the balloons popped. It was the first time I had thought about pressure and the

spreading of weight to achieve balance”. One participant recognised group experiments in

primary science as a foundational experience for secondary work, “We used to do a lot of group

Science teaching strategies experiments that were simplifications of experiments I did later at

high school and university. They created the building blocks of my knowledge” (Participant

131). Group involvement provided opportunities for independent discovery, “Doing an

experiment on electricity. We were actually allowed to do it on our own. So because we could

conduct it ourselves it made it more enjoyable” (Participant 77). Once again, science concepts

were uncovered as a result of high-impact teaching that facilitated group involvement, “In Grade

4 we used straws to construct a bridge together. The aim was to see how strong we could make

the bridge and figure out what shapes were needed in the bridge construction to give it strength”

(Participant 164).

Usable and practical science

Usable scientific knowledge was valued by learners, who noted potential practical applications,

for example, Participant 27 affirmed, “Learning about the human body, growth and reproduction

I always found fascinating and I think helped me understand what makes human beings so

similar (scientifically)” [parenthesis included] and Participant 33 stated, “Simple electric circuit -

conceptualize the way electricity works and gave an understanding of the delivery of electricity

to our home.” Even more difficult science concepts can be presented in practical ways and assist

students to remember their learning of science, to illustrate, “Pulleys and levers introduced me to

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the notions of physics and instilled in me a great interest in the cause and effect of physics”

(Participant 130) and “Studying inertia/friction experiment in year 5. Such a complex concept on

paper but once we played with ramps and cars it all made sense. This is when I understood the

need for practical experience” (Participant 131).

Integrating science with other key learning areas also demonstrated usable and practical science,

“Making paper airplanes and learning and calculating its speed etc. (tied in with maths). It helped

me get my head around it because it was fun, I wanted to learn” (Participant 161). These three

participants (Participants 130, 131, and 161) were males; however females were also encouraged

by experiments that lead to practical knowledge. Participant 78 explained, “Creating a cage to

protect an egg when dropped 5 metres taught us more than just science – it was enjoyable,

interesting and worthwhile - application in life - not just science” and Participant 102 stated, “We

were studying leaves, plants, flowers. We were able to exit the classroom, find flowers and point

out the name and parts of them. It was an enjoyable experience.” Connecting experiments to

real-life scientific knowledge appeared to have long-lasting effects on these adults, particularly

as it was between 7 and 38 years ago when these participants (n=167) attended their primary

schools.

Hands-on experiences

The literature frequently highlights the need for hands-on experiences for learning about science

concepts. Participants in this study commented on hands-on activities such as “Creating mini-

green house inside water bottle [as] exciting and fun” (Participant 123), and learning “about

different Australian native plants and where they grow best. From this we designed and planted a

garden in the school and looked after it for the year” (Participant 8). Whether the hands-on

22
activities are “planting seeds and watching them grow over a period of time” (Participant 25) or

“making mousetrap cars and racing them in the school” (Participant 9), participants emphasized

that “science can be fun” (Participant 9) and remembered these as positive experiences. Hands-

on science education experiences can have lasting and personal effects on students. For example,

Participant 154 (9 years after primary school education) built and shaped a boat from a

rectangular block of wood to test its buoyancy, she wrote, “I still own the boat as it is special to

me and I was proud of my efforts”. It was claimed that hands-on experiences needed to be

purposeful with links to scientific knowledge. Yet, some adults in this study remembered certain

hands-on activities but Hudson’s guide for teaching primary science did not understand the

relationship to scientific knowledge. For example, Participant 117 stated, “Volcano eruption was

fun but the teacher did not provide any scientific knowledge” and similarly:

We used light bulbs and made circuits and series. We experimented with switches for them. Not

sure of the effect on me – I guess it helped me learn about electricity, power sources. I remember

it today, so it must have been positive! (Participant 114)

Scientific concepts that have little relationship to a designated experiment may be misleading.

For example, the exploding volcano using bicarbonate of soda, vinegar, and red dye may prove

to be visually effective but this chemical reaction may not provide accurate information on

volcanoes‟ eruptions. The scientific purpose of the experiment needed to be explained clearly.

Interactivity with life

These adults remembered science activities that had an element of interactivity with life, as

illustrated by the following three comments:

23
Life cycles of chickens - hatching and growing in an incubator in the school classroom. I was

fascinated to watch them grow. It was the most interesting bit of science that I could relate to.

(Participant 13)

The study of the tadpole changing into a frog. My teacher let us each have our own tadpole in a

jar, which we fed daily. We had to draw pictures of our tadpole every few days and note any

bodily transformations - I was amazed and excited and I felt like I had discovered this

phenomenon. (Participant 100)

In grade 4 we incubated chicken eggs and watched 4 chicks hatch. We raised the chicks taking

them out to play on the school oval every day. This experience was a prominent one for me, as

we learnt a lot about the lifecycle of chickens though real-life experiences. (Participant 116)

Real-life interactivity with fauna and/or flora provided stronger focuses for learning, as students

appeared genuinely interested in living things. Facilitating learning opportunities where students

discover for themselves unique characteristics of living things appeared as a high-impact

teaching strategy. This study showed that interactivity with living things can also facilitate life-

changing experiences that lead to employment prospects or understandings for sustainable living.

For example, Participant 88 stated, “I remember studying the science of plants - I went on to

study agriculture/biology at high school and left at end of year 12 - continuing to get a trade

certificate on horticulture - nursery. I love plants” and “Growing plants in different

environments. I think this (plus the support of my parents) has had a lot to do with my ability to

grow vegies and flowers in the garden. It provided a starting point that I‟ve built throughout the

years” (Participant 97). In other cases, simple real-life experiments provided a greater

appreciation of living things and an avenue for developing recreational activities, “Growing a

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seed in a cup with cotton balls and water. Its effect has been, I suppose, that I enjoy plants and

gardening” (Participant 103).

Purpose for learning is clearly articulated

Comments from several adults about their schooling on science education pointed to the need to

have clear reasons for learning science content. Five participants claimed that the purpose for

learning a science concept made the activity meaningful. On the other hand, Participant 86, who

could not state the purpose of a science lesson, reflected on her primary school science: Science

teaching strategies.

In an experiment when we dropped food dyes in milk then drizzled washing detergent into the

bowl the milk was in, to watch the coloured dyes swirl around. I am not sure what I learnt but I

will always remember that. I think it was in the topic of „changes‟ perhaps.

For some adults, practical experiences for learning about the weather and measurement

instruments (e.g., thermometer, rain gauge, and barometer) prompted positive and purposeful

responses, yet, when reasons were not clearly articulated for learning about the weather there

was a distinct sense of “why do I need to do this?” (Participant 4), to illustrate, “Basically, I

remember the lifecycle of frogs because I really liked frogs at the time. I thought it was fun but

did not really think too much about it” (Participant 51) and “Teaching me about photosynthesis

in year 6, the teacher only drew a diagram but never really told us how it worked properly”

(Participant 96).

25
Excursions for developing science understandings

Many of these adults had strong memories of their science excursions while attending primary

schools. Visits to a planetarium, science centre, and museums provided “enjoyable and great

experiences” and showed “how fun (sic) science can be”. Participant 128 stated:

Going to the science museum was very exciting as we learnt a lot about science which motivated

me to want to study science. I now believe that hands-on experiences and field trips are an

integral part of kids‟ learning about science.

Thoughtfully-organised excursions can provide students with memorable science investigations.

There were several adults who remembered camping in bush lands to investigate flora and fauna.

There were others who remembered exploring the Earth and beyond. Participant 110 claimed he,

“started looking for and collecting fossils after an excursion to Shorn cliffe to study fossils and

sedimentation”. Another commented on a “space night” sleepover at school “where we got to

look through a telescope at a few planets and the moon and stars. It was the most exciting school

experience I have ever had”

In view of all these weaknesses, the researcher decided to improvise a torchlight as his teaching

aid with an appropriate strategy and technique to take different dimensions to handle the

challenge to achieve the general aims and objectives of her predecessors in terms of energy.

26
 CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

This chapter deals with the methodology adopted by the researcher during the period of study. It

involves the research design, the population, sample selection, research instruments, pre and

post-intervention process and data analysis.

Research Design

The research design employed by the researcher for this study was an action research. Action

research is a kind of research activity in which the researcher works in collaboration with other

people to solve a problem.

Its focus is on solving problems of pupils in Kpalbe Junior High school one who had difficulties

in understanding the concept energy. The researcher choice for an action research design is base

on the following;

1. An action research encourages teachers to be aware of their own practices to be

critical of the practices and be prepared to change. Therefore, if this research design is

successfully used, it will be of help to all science teachers to be aware of their

practice and be ready to change.

2. An action research does not only focus on generating new knowledge but it also

enable both participants to develop appropriate intervention strategies aimed at

finding solutions to the problem identified in the teaching and learning situation.

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 3. An action research is collaborative. In that it involves other people as part of the

shared enquiring. The researcher does not research in to issues alone or individually

but she does with other.

Population and Sample Selection

Research population is the aggregate of all items or persons from which data pertinent to the

study is collected and investigated into, in order to gain relevant information and to draw

conclusions. The population of this study is limited to the form one pupils of Kpalbe Junior High

school. The school has a population of four hundred and fifty-nine (459), one hundred and thirty

two (132) of these are in form one.

A purposive sampling technique which is a non-probability sampling technique is selected on the

basic assumption that with good judgment one can handpick an element of a case in a population

and develop samples which are satisfactory in relation to one’s needs was adopted. Here a

sample which is believed to be a representative of a given population of one hundred and thirty

two (132) cannot be used but rather a few for the sake of effective research.

The purpose sampling technique was used to select sixty (60) pupils out of one hundred and

thirty two (132) pupils for the purpose of the study. This technique was employed to ensure

unbiased and unfair sampling which may lead to wrong information.

28
Research Instruments

The main instruments used were test, interviews and observations to enable the researcher obtain

arithmetic information on the problem as far as the teaching and learning of science is concerned.

Observation

In the classroom a lot of observations were made on how science is studied and much especially

the concept energy during lesson delivery. In every lesson in the class, the researcher was always

there, but when you compare the understanding of the pupils in the concept energy to other

topics in science; it was always low. It took the researcher about a week to study why pupils

perform poorly in the topic “energy” in Kpalbe Junior High school form one. It became known

through observation that most of the students do not have much interest in science, so they found

excuses of leaving the class during teaching and learning processing.

Some pupils use to be in the classroom but will not pay attention. They were either playing with

their pens or exercise books.

Interview

Interview was also used to collect data for the study of the topic. Respondents who were sixty

(60) in number were subjected to series of individual interviews; it was in a form of structured

interview. The respondents were only to say Yes or No and in some cases express their views.

29
The respondents comprised of twelve (12) parents and eight (8) teachers on 28th April, 2013. The

researcher interviewed teachers and on 30th April, 2013, the researcher interviewed the parents in

their various houses with the assistance of an interpreter. All the parents were to respond Yes or

No to all questions asked, but some of the teachers were made to express their opinions in some

cases. The first person to be interviewed was the class teacher of JHS form one because the

researcher wanted his support to know the causes of the inability of pupils to understand the

concept energy. The researcher used this because of the high illiteracy rate of respondents

especially the respondent. They were randomly selected and interviewed.

Test

A test is described as a set of questions conducted within a time frame to prove the effectiveness

of teaching and learning in a classroom situation. It was one of the instruments used by the

researcher to obtain information needed for the study. The tests questions were picked from

pupils’ integrated science textbook and administered to the pupils under the study as pre-test.

The total questions for the pre-test were five and marked over ten, two marks for each correct

answer. When the scripts were marked some performed better than others. The researcher saw

that something needed to be done to rescue the massive failure of pupils in the subject.

After the intervention, post-test was conducted with the same questions and time for the sake of

reliability of the test.

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Pre-Intervention Process

With the aim of improving pupils understanding about the concept “energy”. There was the need

to embark on the preparation of improvised material such torchlight. In the course of improvising

the torchlight, the following were the materials used; plywood, bulb, handsaw, spring, pencil,

battery, ruler, paint, sandpaper, flexible wire or cable nails.

Procedure

With the help of a pencil and a ruler, I measured the plywood for each face of the box. Thus

12cm by 3cm in width for two batteries.

- Used handsaw to cut plywood into pieces

- Nailed the plywood together with nails to form a rectangular box

- Made a hole on top of the box to connect the bulb and spring at the bottom

- Used sandpaper to rub the surface of the box to become smooth

- Used paint to paint the surface of the box to prevent rusting

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A Sketch of Battery Box wire

plywood bulb

Intervention

Strategy One

In the process of presenting the lesson, the researcher used simple activities to let pupils

understand the concept energy. Thus the researcher gave the pupils two (2) torch light bulbs and

batteries and asked them to connect one with battery and switch on for at least two (2) minutes,

hold the bulbs and comment on how they feel. Pupils said the bulb connected to the battery was

hot as compared to the unconnected one.

This implied that chemical energy in the battery had been transformed to heat energy in the bulb.

After this practical example, the researcher confirmed with various activities during the

presentation of the lesson as shown in the lesson plan on the appendix.

32
The lesson was systematically presented and the pupils were granted a great opportunity to

interact with the teaching aids and also asked questions in the delivery of the lesson. These

activities ended with evaluation and the researcher further conducted another test.

Strategy Two

Organizing a field trip to the Tamale senior high school resource centre and inviting a resource

person to throw more light on the topic.

Post-Intervention

After achieving a successful intervention, post-intervention was conducted. Pupils were given

similar test items for thirty (30) minutes. This was done in order to have a high degree of test

reliability. Pupils’ exercises were collected and marked and scores recorded. The results of the

test revealed a remarkable improvement in the pupils’ knowledge in the subject “concept of

energy”.

Limitation

There is nothing one can do without its limitations. Below are some of the limitations that

affected the work;

The time scheduled was often affected due to either lateness of pupils or a complete absence

giving reasons that they were given some work to do.

Also, I did not find easy getting responses using the interview schedule. The pupils were finding

it difficult to give true answers.

33
The pupils’ responses especially at the initial stage of the interview were discouraging. They

could not carry out activities perfectly and were often frustrated by some of the exercises they

were given.

The time schedule was not enough to get adequate responses from pupils. This also, affected the

work in a way.

Data Analysis

In order to make the researcher work complete, meaningful data was collected and analyzed and

the information gathered was interpreted using descriptive statistically technique. Hence

percentage table was used to give a vivid picture of the results of the study.

34
 CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter focuses on the responses from respondents which are organized, tabulated and

analyzed. The outcome was interpreted with regards to the information stated in chapter one of

this action research. General discussions were also made on the major findings. Reasons for the

pupils to understand the concept energy were given and discussed.

Table 1: Reasons for the Pupils Inability to Understand the Concept Energy

Reasons Number of Pupils Percentage (%)

Inadequate use of 40 70

teaching aids

Truancy 8 14

Lack of basic reading 7 10

materials

Pupils poor background 5 6

in English language

Total 60 100

The purpose for conducting this study was to find out why JHS 1 pupils of Kpalbe Junior High

school find it difficult to understand the concept energy.

35
The results of the data collected above showed that a great cause of their poor performance in

energy was inappropriate use of teaching materials when teachers are presenting science lessons.

From the table about fourty of the pupils representing 70% of the pupils responded to this.

It also revealed that about eight (8) pupils out of the total representing 14% responded that

another cause of the poor performance was truancy. Pupils do not attend to school which hinders

their participation in lesson. This statement corresponds with the fact that during interview, some

pupils openly said they absented themselves from school due to the farm work assigned to them

by their parents which leads to their poor performance.

According to the table seven (7) pupils out of the total representing 10% also responded that lack

of book reading materials also constituted to their poor performance? The information revealed

that pupils did not handle them when they were allowed to use them which resulted in their poor

performance.

Another outstanding issue is that, five (5) pupils out of the total representing six (6%) percent

also responded that, English language which is the background to learning was very poor and

therefore simple instruction rather becomes difficult.

However, the researcher would help to improve the understanding of the pupils on the concept

energy after they had been taken through intervention activities indicating that torchlight is

appropriate in enhancing pupils understanding on the concept energy.

36
Suggested Solutions to the Problems Indicated by Parents, Teachers and Parents

1. Teachers of integrated science should use appropriate teaching aids in the teaching of the

concept energy.

2. Teaching of integrated science should also ensure that pupil is actively involved in the

teaching and learning process of the concept.

3. Workshop should be organized for science teacher to gain more knowledge on practical

topic like the concept of energy.

4. Through P.T.A .meeting and other for a parent should be made to understand that their

pupil will help them in the near future if they had better education. From the suggestions

above, it is clear that all teachers of science should use appropriate teaching learning

material during integrated science lesson.

Table 2: Performance of pupil before the intervention process (pre-test)

Score/Marks No of Pupils Percentage (%)

0-4 50 83

5-7 8 13

8-10 2 4

Total 60 100

Table 2 reveals pupil performance in their inability to understand the energy concept before the

intervention which gave an indication that performance was very poor due to inappropriate use

of teaching learning materials, Truancy, lack of basic reading materials such as test-book etc. and

pupil poor background in English language that were used in the school.

37
From table 2 above, about fifty of the pupils representing 83% of the pupils scored between 0

and 4 out of the total marks of ten in the integrated science test that was conducted before the

intervention process. It also revealed that about eight (8) of the pupils representing 13% were

able to score between 5 and 7, while only two (2) pupils out of the total representing 4% were

able to score more than 7 marks. This implies that pupils’ performance in the teaching of the

concept energy was poor due to the problems stated above.

Table 3: Performance of pupil before the intervention process (post-test)

Score/Marks No of Pupils Percentage (%)

0-4 6 10

5-7 7 12

8-10 47 78

Total 60 100

Taking a critical look at the marks as shown in table 3 above, it is clear that, there had been a

tremendous improvement in the performance of the pupils after the intervention stage of this

action research work.

Before the intervention process (pre-test), pupils who could score between 8 and 10 marks were

two (2) representing 4% in the test and the remaining ninety-six (96) percent scored less than

eight (8) marks. All the same, the average mark scored had not changed much after the

intervention.

38
However, on the whole, pupil’s performance in the lesson has been increased due to the use of

appropriate teaching aids and methods as well as reinforcement of pupils performance. That was

because 78% of the pupils were able to score above 8 marks in the post-test. This gave a sign to

the researcher that, pupil’s knowledge and interest in the concept has improved.

Outcomes of the Intervention

The intervention has helped improve the knowledge of pupils in the concept of energy. Pupils

have also seen the need to take active apart in the teaching and learning of energy. The teachers

of integrated science have also seen the need to use appropriate teaching and learning materials

and methods in teaching the concept energy.

Research Findings

In order to ensure effective continuation of the study for the future generation, the researcher

interpreted and analyzed the results of the study for clarity. After employing and administering

the various research instruments, the researcher has come out with varied ideas on the topic.

Pupils attribute inadequate or the inappropriate use of teaching aids as the main cause of the

problem.

However, other factors also accounted for their poor performance. During and after the

intervention process, it was discovered that, pupils faced the problem of inadequate teaching and

learning materials and teachers not employing the best strategies such as demonstration and

activity method of teaching which are very useful in integrated science lessons.

39
Finally, it was later deduced that pupils’ knowledge in the subject had been improved after the

intervention process of this educational action research work as shown in the post-test scores.

Discussion of the Findings

From the data of the pre-test, it is realized that eighty-three (83) percent of the pupils could not

score four (4) marks out of the total marks of ten (10). This depicted the fact that pupils really

have little knowledge in the subject. Other setbacks which constituted the inability of the pupils

to understand the topic were that of teachers’ poor motivational techniques, wrong use of

instructional time and pupils also misused their leisure time.

These can be ministered by involving pupils in activities during science lessons. The two (2)

common teaching techniques that should be used are the activity method and the demonstration

method as they create more opportunities for the learners to interact with the materials. The

problem can be solved by the appropriate use of teaching and learning materials. Teachers of

science should also use variety of teaching and learning activities in introducing the concept to

improve pupils understanding as well as retention of knowledge. Rewarding pupils during

integrated science lesson and educating parents about the importance of science is another way

forward. This could be done through Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings so that parents

can help in monitoring their wards to ensure effective studies of science both in the school and at

home.

Finally, the intervention was successful because there was a remarkable improvement in the

performance of pupils in the concept energy.

40
 CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Summary

This study was conducted in the Kpalbe Junior High school using sixty (60) pupils when the

researcher identified deficiency in JHS one pupil’s knowledge in the subject.

The researcher embarked upon investigation using special data collection instruments such as

observation, test and interviews with teaching and learning materials to intervene in order to find

the main causes and possible solutions to the problem.

The survey also brought to light some methods may be employed to help pupils develop positive

attitude towards integrated science. This include the use of teaching and learning materials such

as visual aids, motivation, activity based teaching and the use of varied teaching methods or

techniques to suit different topics or lessons and finally, qualified teachers should be made to

handle the subject.

Conclusion

From the study, it has been identified that lack of professional teachers, inappropriate use of

teaching learning materials, truancy among other pupils and poor background in English

language as being the causes of pupils poor performance or their inability to understand the

concept energy.

41
I noticed that, although torchlight is an appropriate teaching and learning material for teaching

the topic, energy is a broad concept and therefore using torchlight alone is not sufficient to teach

the concept in totality. So further researchers should not lay hands on only torchlight but use

other materials such as kenkey and fish, kerosene, lantern etc.

Recommendations

The following recommendations were put forth in the light of the findings and the conclusion of

the study.

Teaching and learning materials arouse pupil’s interest in lessons and aids understanding.

Therefore, the Ghana education service and other stakeholders should always organize in-service

training to educate teachers on the need for improvisation and effective use of teaching aids in

their lessons.

Also, teachers should use the activity method in teaching because; it makes pupils to understand

concepts practically or in reality. The researcher therefore is of the view that if the suggestions

and recommendations are followed, it will go a long way to solve the problems of pupil’s

inability to understand the concepts “density of an irregular object”

Considering the problems that have been identified from the survey and the methods that exist or

that are available, the following suggestions are made to address the problems and to help to

raise pupil’s interest in integrated science.

All science teachers should employ child centered method of teaching in order to attract pupils’

attention in their lessons.

42
Effective use of teaching and learning materials should be adopted. The teacher should vary his

or her teaching methods.

Ghana Education Service (GES) should organise in-service training programme to update the

skills of teachers to enable them teach the subject effectively.

Curriculum planner should also supply curriculum materials such as textbooks to schools on

time.

43
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Adams (1993) Children Primary Science, Winter Publishing, New York.

Alhassan, T.K Abbey and Ameyibor (2001) Integrated Science for Senior Secondary Schools,

Unimax1``` Macmillan Ltd, Accra-North.

Amar etal (1986) How Children Think and Learn, Black Well Inc, Cambridge.

Natty etal (2001) Generating Interest in Science, New times Press, New York.

S.K Yeboah, K.D Taale and E. Ngmman-wara (2005) Science for Junior High Schools, Pupils

Book 1 Sam Wood Ltd, Accra.

44
S.K Yeboah, K.D Taale and E. Ngmman-wara (2005) Science for Junior High Schools, Pupils

Book 2 Sam Wood Ltd, Accra.

Teye N.L and Kojo, M.C (2001) Teaching Science in Basic Schools for Teacher Training

Colleges.

Yeboah etal(2003) Instructional Methods in science,Unimax Macmillan Ltd,Ghana.

45