The Dominant Science Process Skills Practiced by Pupils During Teaching and Learning of Science

Abstract

Children must be scientifically knowledgeable to succeed in an increasingly technology society. Therefore, the science curriculum is designed to educate pupils in science so they can become scientifically literate. Science Process Skills (SPS) are essential to solve problems or make decisions systematically. Pupils that actively participate in science learning by utilising process skills, conversations, and experiments attain a greater level of meaning and dispel stereotypes about rote learning. Thus, this study focuses on the dominant of SPS practised by pupils’ during teaching and learning of a science in elementary school based on classroom assessment. The triangulation for a qualitative method is employed and analysed using NVIVO 12 Plus software. Data were gathered from six teachers and twelve fifth-grade pupils selected purposively. The findings show three themes related to the dominant of pupils’ science process skills for: i) Pupils most favourite SPS, ii) The easiest SPS and iii) Frequency of pupil using SPS in Science lesson. As a conclusion, based on their responses and sharing session during the interview, the majority of pupils consider that observation skills are the most dominant SPS in comparison to other skills. To determine the impact on student learning, additional study on the relationship between the dominant SPS and the level of pupil understanding in Science learning should be conducted.