An investigation into senior high school (shs3) physics students understanding of data processing of length and time of scientific measurement in the Volta region of Ghana
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Date
2014-04
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International Journal of Research Studies in Educational Technology
Abstract
Serious doubt have been raised in the Physics Chief Examiner’s report of the West African
Examination Council of Ghana of both physics-1 (theory) and physics-2 (practical) as to
whether science students really understand measurement of physical quantities. In view of
this, the researcher use a mixed designed method to gather data from SHS3 physics students’
on their understanding of data processing of length and time. A population of 422 SHS3
physics students were sampled and a three item questionnaire on distance and time
administered in order to find out whether the problem enumerated by the Chief Examiners’ of
Physics concerning physics students exist and were either with the set paradigm or the point
paradigm concept. Also twenty SHS3 physics were purposively selected and interviewed in
order to validate students’ written responses. The study revealed that students do not have an
understanding of using repeat in data set, anomaly in data set and straight line graph of data
by the set paradigm concept i.e. all the three items on data processing of students (i.e. UR, AN,
and SLG) were in line with the point paradigm concept of measurement. Also students
seemed to have difficulty in plotting straight line graph by the use of lines of best fit.
Description
Keywords
Point paradigm, Set paradigm, Mixed paradigm, Internalized set paradigm, Consistent set paradigm
Citation
Kumassah, E., Ampiah, J. & Adjei, E. (2014). An investigation into senior high school (shs3) physics students understanding of data processing of length and time of scientific measurement in the Volta region of Ghana. International Journal of Research Studies in Educational Technology, 3(1),. Consortia Academia Publishing. Retrieved April 27, 2018 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/148145/.