Comparison of the constructivist approach and the traditional approach in the teaching of particulate nature of matter

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the use of an intervention strategy based on the constructivist theory to that of the traditional way of teaching in secondary schools in addressing students misconceptions about the particulate nature of matter. Two schools with two senior secondary school science classes in the Cape Coast district were randomly selected from a total of 7 schools. One hundred and forty-eight students were used. The main instrument used for the collection of data was a questionnaire on the particulate nature of matter. The statistical tests used were the McNemar chi-square and t-test. The results of the study showed that the experimental group which was instructed using the constructivist approach performed better on the post-test with fewer students still holding unto their misconceptions after the intervention compared to the control group who were instructed through the traditional approach. As a result of these findings, it is suggested that in teaching the particulate nature of matter, the constructivist learning strategy which allows students to construct the accepted learning ideas for themselves should be adopted.