Effects of A Target-Task Problem-Solving Model on Senior Secondary School Students’ Performance in Physics.

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of a Target-Task Problem-solving Model on Senior Secondary Students’ performance in physics. In this study, quasi-experimental design was used. The target population for this study comprises 8 Government Secondary School two (SSII) physics students in Gwagwalada Area Council, FCT Abuja. The sample of the study comprised of 166 students, 87 males and 79 females. Physics Achievement Test on Motion and force (PAMF) of 24 items was used for trial testing, data collected was analyzed using Cronbach Alpha to obtain 0.97 reliability coefficient after validation. The experimental group was exposed to the Target-Task Problem-Solving Model While Lecture Method was used for the control group. The experimental and control group were pre-test in the first week of the research after which the treatment was applied and post-testing took place in the sixth week using Physics Achievement Test on Motion and Force (PAMF). The data collected were analyzed using Mean, Standard deviation and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to test the research question and hypothesis raised a t an alpha level of 0.05. The study revealed that the Target-Test Problem-Solving Model enhanced performance of student creativity in problem solving and observational skill. On the basis of findings, it is strongly recommended that physics instructors should use explicit problem solving instruction in their lesson to develop students’ problem solving performance and the related outcomes such as course achievement and Government should transform the textbooks of physics into problem based learning form because the traditional textbooks do not meet the criteria of problem solving approach and further suggested that more researches should be considered to investigate the effect of Target-Test Problem-Solving Model in other physics concepts to verify on the observational skills of students which has not so common in the existing literature in other to strengthen this result.