Working junior high school students: Their manipulative skills, achievement, and attitude towards Science

Abstract

This mixed method quantitative-qualitative research study aimed to find out the manipulative skills, achievement, and attitude towards science of junior high school students in academic year 2017-2018. The quantitative part was done through the use of descriptive-correlational study with twenty-eight (28) respondents that were chosen through purposive sampling technique based on their nature of work. The qualitative part was done through the in-depth interview with four (4) randomly selected respondents. Findings of the study revealed that in general, the level of working students' manipulative skills when taken as a whole was high. In terms of achievement, respondents were found very satisfactorywhile all the respondents' attitude showed fairly positive towards the science subject. There was a significant difference in attitude towards science specifically between game fowls and sugarcane workers, game fowl and carpentry, and carpentry and barbeque stick. There was also a significant difference in manipulative skills when taken according to their nature of work in terms of game fowl and sugarcane, game fowl and carpentry, game fowl and stick, game fowl and multiple, and carpentry and stick. There was no significant relationship in working students' manipulative skills, achievement, and attitude towards science. The skills on science learned by the students include observing, classifying, measuring, predicting and inferring. Science teachers could reflect on their teaching techniques/strategies or actions that would serve as their basis to conduct appropriate instructional plan that will allow learning of children in school and work.