Guided inquiry method an approach to improve the performances in physics for senior high school students in Ghana

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to teach students with the guided enquiry approach to enhance the academic performance of Physics students at Nafana Presby Senior High School in the Bono Region of Ghana. The Researcher taught scientific process skills such as manipulating and observing through guided inquiry methods as well as the specific science process skills to students in some classes. The study was a case study design using an Action Research methodology. Thirty-eight students in Form 2 constituted the sample for the study. Class observational checklists and learning packages were used to collect the study's data. The science process skills displayed by the students during the lesson sessions were recorded using the observational checklist. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were done on the data using tables and graphs. The study's findings demonstrated that after being exposed to the guided inquiry approach, the students was able to demonstrate skills of manipulating, holding, measuring, and observing. There was an improvement on their previous skills of communicating and drawing. This study showed that employing guidedinquiry methods to teaching helped students to investigate problems and also learn how to use scientific method to solve a problem. The study method employed had added benefit of giving students the chance to develop their science process skills. The implications of the results of the study for teaching and learning science are that the guided inquiry method makes the science classroom more real as students are actively involved in all activities prescribed by the teacher.