ERIC Number: EJ1232084
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1029-8457
EISSN: N/A
The Efficacy of an Extracurricular Inquiry Programme on Grade 8 and 9 South African Low Quintile Learners' Science Learning
African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, v23 n2 p157-168 2019
Physical sciences teachers in low-quintile South African schools avoid the use of inquiry on the grounds of inefficiency and ineffectiveness for test preparation. This avoidance is consistent with the view that the high cognitive load inquiry offers to extreme novices such as these learners may be prohibitive. Given the purported benefits of inquiry, this situation seems lamentable, but until empirical evidence is found to the contrary, the applicability of inquiry in this context appears an impractical ideal. In this study I begin the search for evidence of benefits of inquiry for the education of learners from such backgrounds, albeit within an educational setting atypical of the context. I investigate the effectiveness of a week-long inquiry holiday programme for 26 Grade 8 and 9 learners from low-quintile schools and the predictive value of their Natural Sciences marks for success in the programme. The findings show statistically significant learning gains from pre- to post-test scores and pre- to delayed post-test scores, as well as strong correlations between the learners' Natural Sciences marks and the post-test scores. This shows that holiday inquiry programmes can be effective at promoting learning, measured by test-performance, even for learners with backgrounds of underprivilege, at least among higher achieving learners.
Descriptors: Extracurricular Activities, Program Effectiveness, Active Learning, Inquiry, Grade 8, Grade 9, Developing Nations, Foreign Countries, Science Instruction, Educational Benefits, Difficulty Level, Cognitive Processes, Program Length, Natural Sciences, Achievement Gains, Science Achievement, Disadvantaged Youth, High Achievement, Physics, Disadvantaged Schools, Secondary School Students, Educational Objectives
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 8; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Grade 9; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A