EFFECT OF THE USE OF VEE-DIAGRAM INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY ON PRE-SERVICE PHYSICS TEACHERS’ ACHIEVEMENT AND PERCEPTION IN GRAVITATION IN PHYSICS, KANO, NIGERIA

Abstract

Vee diagram, a metacognitive tool, is one of the student-centered constructivist approaches to teaching and learning which enhances meaningful learning. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the use of Vee-diagram on pre-service Physics teachers’ academic achievement and perception of the concept of gravitation. A one group pretest and posttest quasi-experimental research design was adopted for the study. An intact class population of 20 N.C.E. II Physics pre-service teachers purposively served as the sample for the study. Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Two researcher designed instruments were used for the purpose of data collection which are “Physics Achievement Test” (PAT) and “Gravitation Concept Perception Inventory Questionnaire” (GCPIQ). Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while paired sample t-test was used to test hypothesis one and hypothesis two was tested using Wilcoxon Sign Rank-test both at 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed that significant difference exists in the academic achievement of students before and after they were taught the concept of gravitation using the Vee-Diagram instructional strategy. Also significant difference exists in the perception of students before and after they were taught the concept of gravitation using the Vee-Diagram Instructional Strategy. Based on the findings, it was recommended that science teachers should employ the use of Vee-diagram as an instructional strategy since it encourages students to think critically and actively engage in their learning, which improves their metacognitive ability and academic performance.