THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG INTEGRATED SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS,
LOGICAL THINKING ABILITIES, AND SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT AMONG RURAL STUDENTS OF SABAH, MALAYSIA
Lay Yoon Fah Universiti Malaysia Sabah <layyoonfah@yahoo.com> Khoo Chwee Hoon Malaysia Teacher Education Institute-Kent Campus Tuaran, Sabah <khoo8921@yahoo.com> Jenny Cheng Oi Lee Lok Yuk Secondary School Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia <jechlee118@yahoo.com>
Abstract Science curriculum in Malaysia gives conscious emphasis on the acquisition of scientific skills and thinking skills, the inculcation of scientific attitudes and nobles values besides the acquisition of scientific and technological knowledge and its application to the natural phenomena and students daily experiences. The purpose of this study is to gauge the acquisition of integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities and science achievement among Form 4 students in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. This study is also aimed to determine whether there is a significant difference in the acquisition of integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and science achievement between male and female secondary students in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. The ultimate goal of this study is to investigate whether integrated science process skills and logical thinking abilities can predict rural secondary students science achievement. This is a non- experimental quantitative research and sample survey method was used to collect data. Research samples were selected by using a two-stage cluster random sampling technique. Instruments namely Integrated Science Process Skills Test (ISPST), Group Assessment of Logical Thinking Abilities (GALT), and Science Achievement Test (SAT) were adopted to investigate the possible linear relationships among rural secondary students integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities and science achievement. Five subscales of integrated science process skills measured in this study were Identifying variables, Identifying and stating hypothesis, Defining operationally, Designing investigations, and Graphing and interpreting data whereas six modes of logical thinking abilities measured were Conservational reasoning, Proportional reasoning, Controlling variables, Combinatorial reasoning, Probabilistic reasoning, and Correlational reasoning. Students science achievement in Elementary Biology, Elementary Chemistry and Elementary Physics were also measured in this study. Parametric tests namely Independent samples t-test, Pearsons product moment correlation, simple and multiple regression analysis were used to test the stated null hypotheses at a specified significance level of .05. Quantitative data was analyzed by using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) and QUEST. The research findings will bring some meaningful implications to those who are directly or indirectly involved in the development and implementation of science curriculum especially in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia.
Background of the Study The progressiveness of a nation is very much dependent on the generation of new ideas which will act as a catalyst to the development of the nation. In an effort to achieve the status of a developed nation, the Malaysian government had initiated and documented a vision to be achieved by the year 2020. Among the nine strategic challenges identified, the sixth strategic challenge is to establish a scientific and progressive society, a society that is innovative and forward-looking, one that is not only a consumer of technology but also a contributor to the scientific and technological civilization of the future (Wan Mohd. Zahid, 1993). The core of this vision requires Malaysians to possess high scientific and technological skills to enable the people to be involved directly and indirectly in the up-stream and down-stream of science and technology activities. The most fundamental and powerful human resource is intelligence where it is important not only to have a good brain but also to have the ability to use it and to ensure it is functioning effectively. In relation to this, science has prepared ways which enable us to think logically about our daily events and practical problem 2
solving. Science also represents ways of organizing knowledge which will then contribute to the development of cultures and intellect. To achieve this aim, the concept of education through science becomes imperative. Two important fields of study in science education are science process skills and logical thinking abilities. Science process skills represent problem solving mechanisms that involved in any cognitive processes whereas logical thinking abilities are crucial in the acquisition and understanding of science concepts. Scientific knowledge is believed to develop via the use of science process skills and logical thinking abilities.
The Study Problem Statement This proposed piece of study is a follow-up of a research undertaken by the principal researcher which entitled The Influence of Science Process Skills, Logical Thinking Abilities, Attitudes towards Science and, Locus of Control on Science Achievement among Form 4 Students in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. One of the important findings of the study revealed that higher logical thinking abilities will ensure better science process skills and hence better science achievement among Form 4 students in the Interior Division of Sabah. The same study had also proposed a structural model to show the direct and indirect effects of all the endogenous and exogenous variables studied by using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach. However, there have not been many well-documented research which aimed to gauge the acquisition of integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and science achievement among rural secondary students especially in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. The possible linear relationships among the acquisition of integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and science achievement have not been well-investigated. Hence, due to the scarcity of well-documented research in this field of study, this proposed study is aimed to gauge the acquisition of integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and science achievement among rural secondary students in the Interior Division of Sabah; to determine if there is any significant relationship among integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and rural secondary students science achievement. The ultimate goal of this study is to investigate whether integrated science process skills and logical thinking abilities can be used to predict rural secondary students science achievement.
Objectives of the Study This study attempts to achieve the following objectives:-
i) to gauge the acquisition of integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities and science achievement among rural secondary students in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia; ii) to determine whether there is a significant difference in the acquisition of integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and science achievement between male and female rural secondary students; iii) to identify any possible linear relationships among integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and rural secondary students science achievement; iv) to ascertain whether integrated science process skills and logical thinking abilities can predict rural secondary students science achievement;
Research Questions
This study attempts to answer the following questions:-
i) What is the acquisition level of integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and science achievement among rural secondary students in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia? ii) Is there a significant difference in the acquisition of integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and science achievement between male and female rural secondary students? iii) Is there a significant linear relationship among integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and rural secondary students science achievement? iv) To what extent do integrated science process skills and logical thinking abilities predict rural secondary students science achievement?
Research Hypotheses Four null hypotheses identified to be tested in this study were listed below:
i) There is no significant difference in the acquisition of integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and science achievement between male and female rural secondary students in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. 3
ii) There is no significant linear relationship among integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and rural secondary students science achievement. iii) The regression coefficient for logical thinking abilities is equal to zero when rural secondary students integrated science process skill is the dependent variable. iv) The regression coefficients for integrated science process skills and logical thinking abilities are equal to zero when rural secondary students science achievement is the dependent variable.
Methodology Research Design This is a non-experimental quantitative research. Non-experimental research is a systematic empirical inquiry in which the researcher does not have direct control of independent variables because their manifestations have already occurred or because they are inherently not manipulable. Hence, inferences about relations among variables are made, without direct intervention, from concomitant variation of independent and dependent variables (Johnson & Christensen, 2000). Sample survey method was used to collect data. In this study, intruments namely Integrated Science Process Skills Test (ISPST), Group Assessment of Logical Thinking Abilities (GALT), and Science Achievement Test (SAT) were used to gauge students acquisition of integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities and science achievement respectively.
Location of the Study This study was conducted in 18 Form 4 classes of nine randomly-selected rural secondary schools in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. The distribution of schools and Form 4 classes according to four districts in the Interior Division of Sabah is shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Distribution of Schools and Form 4 Classes according to Four Districts in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia District Nos. of Schools Nos. of Form 4 Classes Tambunan 2 4 Keningau 4 8 Tenom 2 4 Nabawan 1 2 Total 9 18
Research Samples and Sampling Method The population of this study were Form 4 students from 22 rural secondary schools in the Interior Division of Sabah who took the Integrated Curriculum for Secondary School (ICSS) Science (Sains KBSM) as one of their compulsory learning subjects in school. The population size is approximately 3500 students. The average age of the population is 16 years old. Sample size of this study was determined based on the formula suggested by Krejcie and Morgan (1970) and power analysis (Miles & Shevlin, 2001). Hence, sample size used in this study is considered adequate as compared to Krejcie and Morgans recommendation which is a sample size of 346 for the population size of 3500. To be specific, a two-stage cluster random sampling technique was used to identify nine rural secondary schools and 18 Form 4 classes to be involved in this study. At stage one, systematic sampling technique was used to identify nine secondary schools from all the 22 secondary schools in the Interior Division of Sabah. After the schools have been identified, simple random sampling techinique was used to identify any two Form 4 classes from each of the chosen schools by using a random number table. All students in the chosen classes were automatically taken as the samples of the study. This combination of sampling techniques is to ensure the representativeness of the samples.
Instrumentation Instruments namely Integrated Science Process Skills Test (ISPST) (Appendix I), Group Assessment of Logical Thinking Abilities (GALT) (Appendix II), and Science Achievement Test (SAT) (Appendix III) were adopted to gauge the acquisition of integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities and science achievement among rural secondary students in the Interior Division of Sabah. The same instruments were used to investigate the possible linear relationships among students acquisition of integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities and science achievement. In this study, students acquisition of integrated science process skills was measured by using a modified and translated version of Integrated Science Process Skills Test II (TIPS II) (Burns et al., 1985) and 4
Middle Grades Integrated Process Skill Test (MIPT) (Padilla & Cronin, 1986). The item distribution of ISPST according to the five subscales of integrated science process skills measured in this study is shown in Table 2.
Table 2 Item Distribution of ISPST according to Subscales Subscales Item No. Nos. Item Identifying Variables 1,3,13,14,15,18,19,20,30, 31,32,36 12 Identifying and Stating Hypothesis 4,6,8,12,16,17,27,29,35, 40 10 Defining Operationally 2,7,22,23,26,33 6 Designing Investigation 10,21,24, 37,38,39 6 Graphing and Interpreting Data 5,9,11,25,28,34 6 Total 40
In this study, rural secondary students acquisition of logical thinking abilities was measured by using a modified and translated version of Group Assessment of Logical Thinking Abilities (GALT) (Roadrangka et al., 1983) and Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT) (Tobin & Capie, 1981). The item distribution of GALT according to the six modes of logical thinking measured is shown in Table 3.
Table 3 Item Distribution of GALT according to Subscales Subscales Item No. Nos. Item Conservational Reasoning 1,2,3,4 4 Proportional Reasoning 5,6,7,8,9 5 Controlling Variables 10,11,12 3 Probabilistic Reasoning 13,14,15 3 Correlational Reasoning 16,17,18 3 Combinatorial Reasoning 19,20,21 3 Total 21
On the other hand, rural secondary students science achievement was measured by Science Achievement Test (SAT) which is developed based on the ICSS Form 4 Science Curriculum Specification (Curriculum Development Centre, 2001). The item distribution of SAT according to five subscales (topics) is shown in Table 4.
Table 4 Item Distribution of SAT according to Subscales Subscales (Topics) Item No. Nos. Item Elementary Biology Body Coordination 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, 9 Heredity and Variation 10,11,12,13,14,15 6 Elementary Chemistry Matter and Material 16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23 8 Energy and Chemical Changes 24,25,26,27,28,29,30 7 Elementary Physics Light, Colour and Vision 31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39, 40,41,42,43,44,45 15 Total 45
The Difficulty Index and reliability analysis of the instruments used in this study are reported in Table 5 below. The Cronbachs alpha reliability of .72 and .66 for ISPST and SAT respectively are relatively high as compared to GALT (.52). On the other hands, the Difficulty index of .43 and .39 for ISPST and SAT respectively showed that the items are not too difficult for the respondents to answer.
Table 5 Difficulty Index and Reliability Analysis of Instruments
Instrument Nos. Item Sample size Difficulty Index Cronbachs Alpha 5
Further QUEST analysis found that all the items in the ISPST were fit with an Infit MNSQ of .88 - 1.13 (Appendix IV). Item fit map showed that the Infit MNSQ of these items were in the range of .77 - 1.30 (Appendix V). Based on the values of Pt-Biserial and Mean Ability, all the items were functioning well and showed a high internal consistency (Alpha= .72) (Appendix VI). Table 6 showed the summary of item estimates and fit statistics for ISPST used to measure the acquisition of integrated science process skills among Form 4 students in the Interior Division of Sabah.
Table 6 Summary of Item Estimates and Fit Statistics for ISPST Item Estimates Mean .00 Standard Deviation .64 Standard Deviation (Adjusted) .63 Item Estimates Reliability .98 Fit Statistics Infit MNSQ: Mean 1.00 Standard Deviation .06 (N = 575, L = 40, Probability level = .50)
QUEST analysis found that all the items in the SAT were fit with an Infit MNSQ of .92-1.09 (Appendix VII). Item fit map showed that the Infit MNSQ of these items were in the range of .77-1.30 (Appendix VIII). Based on the values of Pt-Biserial and Mean Ability, all items were functioning well and showed a high internal consistency (Alpha = .66) (Appendix IX). The summary of item estimates and fit statistics for SAT used to measure science achievement among Form 4 students in the Interior Division of Sabah is shown in Table 7:
Table 7 Summary of Item Estimates and Fit Statistics for SAT Item Estimates Mean .00 Standard Deviation .71 Standard Deviation (Adjusted) .70 Item Estimates Reliability .98 Fit Statistics Infit MNSQ: Mean 1.00 Standard Deviation .04 (N = 598, L = 45, Probability level = .50)
Data Collection Procedures Before administering the instruments, formal permission from the principals of the schools involved was sought and obtained. The instruments of this study were administered by researcher. Students were gathered in the school hall and the instruments were administered to the students concurrently. The students were told about the nature of the instruments and how the instruments should be answered.
Data Analysis Procedures Descriptive statistics were used to describe the acquisition of integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and science achievement among rural secondary students in the Interior Division of Sabah. Among the descriptive statistics used were mean, standard deviation, mean in percentages, standard deviation in percentages, and range. As an effort to ensure all the quantitative data were drawn from a normally distributed population, graphical measures such as histogram, stem-and-leaf plot, normal Q-Q plot and detrended normal Q-Q plot were plotted for each of the variables studied. Furthermore, numerical measures such as skewness and kurtosis were used to identify any deviations from normal distributions (Hair, Anderson, Tatham, & Black, 1998; Miles & Shevlin, 2001). After the assumptions of using parametric techniques in analyzing quantitative data were met, 6
statistical analyses which include independent-sample t-test, Pearsons product-moment correlation, simple and multiple regression analysis were used to test the stated null hypotheses at a specified significance level, alpha = .05.
Independent-Sample t-Test Independent-sample t-test was used to determine whether there is a significant difference in the acquisition of integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and science achievement between male and female rural secondary students in the Interior Division of Sabah.
Pearsons Product-Moment Correlation Correlation analysis was used to identify possible linear relationships among integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and rural secondary students science achievement. Pearsons product-moment correlation coefficients (r) were calculated to show the strength of the linear relationships among the variables studied.
Simple and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis Simple linear regression analysis was used to examine the possible contribution of logical thinking abilities (LOGIC) on rural secondary students integrated science process skills (PROCESS). On the other hand, stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to ascertain whether logical thinking abilities (LOGIC) and integrated science process skills (PROCESS) can make significant contribution on rural secondary students science achievement (SCIENCE). In this study, stepwise variables selection method was used in order to obtain a parsimonious model which can explain most of the variance in the dependent variable (i.e. SCIENCE) by using least number of independent variables (i.e. LOGIC and PROCESS). Assumptions namely normality, homoscedasticity, linearity, and independence were examined prior to multiple regression analysis (Appendix X). Furthermore, distance statistics (leverage measure and Cooks distance) and influence statistics (DfBeta and DfFit) were used to identify any outliers or influential observations in the data set (Appendix XI). To detect multicollinearity among the independent variables studied, correlation matrices, Tolerance (T) and Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) were also examined (Hair et al., 1998).
Research Findings and Discussion The Acquisition of Integrated Science Process Skills among Rural Secondary Students in the Interior Division of Sabah Table 8 shows the mean and standard deviation of students overall acquisition of integrated science process skills and for each of the five subscales respectively. Table 8 Mean and Standard Deviation of Students Acquisition of Integrated Science Process Skills (N = 575) Subscales Nos. Item M SD M% SD% Range Graphing and Interpreting Data 6 3.016 1.391 50.262 23.185 0 - 6 Defining Operationally 6 2.574 1.343 42.898 22.377 0 - 6 Identifying and Stating Hypothesis 10 4.127 1.831 41.270 18.310 0 - 10 Designing Investigation 6 2.449 1.430 40.812 23.838 0 - 6 Controlling Variables 12 4.884 2.318 40.696 19.320 0 - 12 Overall 40 17.049 5.513 42.622 13.782 5 - 35
Based on the mean in percentages (M%) as shown in Table 8, the acquisition of integrated science process skills in descending order is Graphing and Interpreting Data, Defining Operationally, Identifying and Stating Hypothesis, Designing Investigation, and Controlling Variables.
The Acquisition of Logical Thinking Abilities among Rural Secondary Students in the Interior Division of Sabah Table 9 shows the mean and standard deviation of students overall acquisition of logical thinking abilities and for each of the six subscales respectively. Table 9 Mean and Standard Deviation of Students Logical Thinking Abilities (N = 549) Subscales Nos. Item M SD M% SD% Range Conservational Reasoning 4 1.384 1.084 34.608 27.100 0 - 4 Combinatorial Reasoning 3 .424 .619 14.147 20.640 0 - 3 7
Based on the mean in percentages as shown in Table 9, the acquisition of logical thinking abilities in descending order is Conservational Reasoning, Combinatorial Reasoning, Controlling Variables, Correlational Reasoning, Proportional Reasoning, and Probabilistic Reasoning.
Science Achievement among Rural Secondary Students in the Interior Division of Sabah Table 10 shows the mean and standard deviation of students overall science achievement and for each of the three subscales respectively.
Table 10 Mean and Standard Deviation of Students Science Achievement (N = 598) Subscales Nos. Item M SD M% SD% Range Elementary Biology 6.142 2.293 40.947 15.287 1 - 14 Heredity and Variation 6 2.589 1.362 43.143 22.693 0 - 6 Body Coordination 9 3.554 1.567 39.483 17.410 0 - 8 Elementary Chemistry 5.977 2.390 39.844 15.932 0 - 14 Matter and Material 8 3.560 1.630 44.503 20.370 0 - 8 Energy and Chemical Changes 7 2.416 1.427 34.520 20.383 0 - 6 Elementary Physics 5.283 2.137 35.217 14.249 1 - 11 Light, Colour and Vision 15 5.283 2.137 35.217 14.249 1 - 11 Overall 45 17.401 5.248 38.670 11.661 5 - 38
Based on the mean in percentages as shown in Table 10, rural secondary students science achievement in descending order is Elementary Biology (Heredity and Variation; Body Coordination), Elementary Chemistry (Matter and Material; Energy and Chemical Changes), and Elementary Physics (Light, Colour, and Vision).
Mean Difference in the Acquisition of Integrated Science Process Skills, Logical Thinking Abilities, and Science Achievement among Rural Secondary Students in the Interior Division of Sabah The first null hypothesis was tested by using the Independent sample t-test at a specified significance level, alpha = .05. As shown in Table 11 and Table 12, independent sample t-test results showed that there is a significant difference in the acquisition of integrated science process skills (t = 3.071, p = .002) and science achievement (t = 3.244, p = .001) between male and female rural secondary students in the Interior Division of Sabah. Hence, these findings had successfully rejected the first null hypothesis. Female students performed better than male students in the acquisition of integrated science process skills and science achievement. In relation to this, female rural secondary students performed better than their counterparts in the acquisition of Identifying Variables and Identifying and Stating Hypothesis. This finding is consistent with the previous research (e.g., Pettus & Haley, 1980; Roadrangka et al.,1996; Zaliha et al., 1996). On the other hand, this study has revealed that female rural secondary students performed better in Elementary Biology and Elementary Chemistry as compared to their counterparts. These findings are consistent with previous findings by Erickson & Erickson (1984), Roadrangka (1995) and TIMSS-R (2000). However, the mean difference in Elementary Physics between male and female rural secondary students is not statistically significant.
Table 11 Mean Difference in the Acquisition of Integrated Science Process Skills based on Gender (N = 575) Subscales Gender N M SD t df p Identifying Variables Male 268 4.519 2.254 3.561* 573 < .0005 Female 307 5.202 2.330 Overall 575 4.884 2.318 Identifying and Stating Hypothesis Male 268 3.937 1.858 2.339* 573 .020 Female 307 4.293 1.793 Overall 575 4.127 1.831 Defining Operationally Male 268 2.534 1.413 .673 573 .501 Female 307 2.609 1.280 8
Overall 575 2.574 1.343 Designing Investigations Male 268 2.396 1.479 .833 573 .405 Female 307 2.495 1.387 Overall 575 2.449 1.430 Graphing and Interpreting Data Male 268 2.914 1.370 1.637 573 .102 Female 307 3.104 1.406 Overall 575 3.016 1.391 Overall Male 268 16.299 5.666 3.071* 573 .002 Female 307 17.704 5.298 Overall 575 17.049 5.513 * p < .05
Table 12 Mean Difference in Science Achievement based on Gender (N = 598) Subscales Gender N M SD t df p Elementary Biology Heredity and Variation Body Coordination Male 282 5.858 2.258 2.878* 596 .004 Female 316 6.396 2.298 Overall 598 6.142 2.293 Elementary Chemistry Matter and Material Energy and Chemical Changes Male 282 5.649 2.315 3.191* 596 .001 Female 316 6.269 2.421 Overall 598 5.977 2.390 Elementary Physics Light, Colour and Vision Male 282 5.163 2.128 1.292 596 .197 Female 316 5.389 2.143 Overall 598 5.283 2.137 Overall Male 282 16.670 5.096 3.244* 596 .001 Female 316 18.054 5.302 Overall 598 17.401 5.248 * p < .05
However, independent sample t-test revealed that the difference in the acquisition of logical thinking abilities between male and female students is not statistically significant (t = -1.721, p = .086) (Table 13).
Table 13: Mean Difference in the Acquisition of Logical Thinking Abilities based on Gender (N = 549) Subscales Gender N M SD t df p Conservational Reasoning Male 251 1.498 1.201 -2.222* 477.331 .027 Female 298 1.289 .966 Overall 549 1.384 1.084 Proportional Reasoning Male 251 .582 .777 -1.893 515.368 .059 Female 298 .460 .720 Overall 549 .516 .749 Controlling Variables Male 251 .387 .612 -.684 547 .495 Female 298 .352 .557 Overall 549 .368 .582 Probabilistic Reasoning Male 251 .163 .440 .281 547 .779 Female 298 .175 .482 Overall 549 .169 .463 Correlational Reasoning Male 251 .339 .627 -.331 547 .741 Female 298 .322 .542 Overall 549 .330 .582 Combinatorial Reasoning Male 251 .398 .601 .903 547 .367 Female 298 .446 .635 Overall 549 .424 .619 Overall Male 251 3.367 2.373 -1.721 483.410 .086 Female 298 3.044 1.949 Overall 549 3.191 2.158 * p < .05
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This study has found an insignificant difference in the acquisition of logical thinking abilities between male and female rural secondary students in the Interior Division of Sabah. Research conducted by Keig and Rubba (1993), Michael Liau (1982) and Roadrangka (1995) have also made the same conclusion. However, this finding was contradicted with the findings of previous researchers (e.g., DeLuca, 1981; Hernandez, Marek, & Renner, 1984; Howe & Shayer, 1981; Meehan, 1984; Shemesh, 1990) which have found that male students performed better than their counterparts in the Piagetian formal reasoning tasks.
Linear Relationships among Integrated Science Process Skills, Logical Thinking Abilities and Science Achievement among Rural Secondary Students in the Interior Division of Sabah The second null hypothesis was tested by using the Pearsons product-moment correlation at a specified significance level, Alpha = .05. Correlation analysis results showed that there were moderate, positive and significant correlations among students integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities and science achievement. In relation to this, Pearsons product-moment correlation coefficients were found in the range of .363 to .554 (Table 14). Hence, this finding had successfully rejected the second null hypothesis.
Table 14 Pearsons Product-Moment Correlation Results Variables LOGIC PROCESS SCIENCE LOGIC - PROCESS .447** (p < .0005) N = 505 - SCIENCE .363** (p < .0005) N = 518 .554** (p < .0005) N = 544 - ** p < .01
Logical thinking abilities were positively and moderately correlated with integrated science process skills among rural secondary students (r = .447, p < .0005). This finding is further supported by Allen (1973), Linn and Their (1975), Padilla et al. (1983), Tobin and Capie (1980; 1982), Yap (1985), and Yeany et al. (1986). On the other hand, science process skills were positively and moderately correlated with students science achievement (r = .554, p < .0005). According to Funk et al. (1979), science process skills are the vehicle to generate scientific knowledge and the ways to formulate scientific concepts. Besides that, logical thinking abilities were also positively and moderately correlated with students science achievement (r = .363, p < .0005). This finding is consistent with previous research findings (e.g., Bitner, 1991; Boulanger & Kremer, 1981; Hofstein & Mandler, 1985; Howe & Durr, 1982; Keig & Rubba, 1993; Krajcik & Haney, 1987;Lawson, 1982a, 1982b; Marek, 1981; Mitcell & Lawson, 1988; Piburn, 1980; Piburn & Baker, 1989; Roadrangka, 1995; Siti Hawa Munji, 1998; Staver & Halsted, 1985).
The Influence of Logical Thinking Abilities on Integrated Science Process Skills among Rural Secondary Students in the Interior Division of Sabah The third null hypothesis was tested by using the simple linear regression analysis. Results in Table 15 showed that logical thinking abilities significantly contributed to students integrated science process skills (F(1, 504) = 125.421, p < .0005). Based on the Beta value, logical thinking abilities ( = .447, t(505) = 11.199, p < .0005) contributed to the variance in students integrated science process skills. The value of the coefficient of determination, R 2 (= .200) revealed that logical thinking abilities accounted for 20.0% of the variance in rural secondary students integrated science process skills. Hence, this finding had successfully rejected the third null hypothesis.
Table 15 Simple Linear Regression Analysis Results for Logical Thinking Abilities on Integrated Science Process Skills (N = 505) Predictor variable B SE R 2 t p Constant
13.453 .397 33.863 p <.0005 LOGIC
1.162 .104 .447 .200 11.199 p <.0005 *p < .05, ** p < .01;
10
PROCESS = 13.453 + 1.162 LOGIC Multiple-R = .447 R 2 = .200 Adjusted R 2 = .198 SEE = 4.99499 F (1, 504) = 125.421; p <.0005
Germann (1994), Padilla et al. (1984), and Tobin and Capie (1980, 1982) have also found that formal reasoning abilities are the best predictor for students acquisition of science process skills. For instance, Tobin and Capie (1980) have concluded that students with higher formal reasoning abilities showed better performance in science process skills. In relation to that, Tobin and Capie (1980) have reported that 30% of the variance in science process skills was attributed to students formal reasoning abilities.
The Influence of Logical Thinking Abilities and Integrated Science Process Skills on Science Achievement among Rural Secondary Students in the Interior Division of Sabah The fourth null hypothesis was tested by using the stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results in Table 16 showed that integrated science process skills and logical thinking abilities significantly contributed to rural secondary students science achievement (F(2, 479) = 120.054, p < .0005). Based on the R 2 value, these two predictor variables explained 33.5% of the variance in rural secondary students science achievement. In this study, integrated science process skills (R 2 = 31.8%, = .496, t(480) = 11.794, p < .0005) contributed more to students science achievement as compared to logical thinking abilities (R 2 = 1.7%, = .147, t(480) = 3.504, p = .001). Hence, this finding had successfully rejected the fourth null hypothesis.
Table 16 Multiple Linear Regression Analysis Results for Logical Thinking Abilities and Integrated Science Process Skills on Science Achievement (N = 480) Predictor variables B SE R 2 t p Constant
8.322 .644 12.928 p <.0005 PROCESS
.475 .040 .496 .318 11.794 p <.0005 LOGIC
.364 .104 .147 .017 3.504 .001 ** p < .01 ; SCIENCE = 8.322 +.475 PROCESS + .364 LOGIC Multiple R = .579 R 2 = .335 Adjusted R 2 = .332 SEE = 4.35409 F (2, 479) = 120.054; p <.0005
This finding was further supported by a stronger positive linear correlation between students science achievement with their integrated science process skills (r = .554, p<.0005) as compared to their logical thinking abilities (r = .363, p<.0005). Researchers in the field of science education (e.g., Chiappetta & Russell, 1982; Herron, 1978; Sayre & Ball, 1975) have also reported that science process skills and logical thinking abilities are positively and significantly correlated with students science achievement. Science process skills and logical thinking abilities are factors that can influence students concept learning in science.
Conclusion Research findings of this study have found significant differences in the acquisition of integrated science process skills and science achievement between male and female rural secondary students in the Interior Division of Sabah. Generally, female students performed better than their counterparts in the acquisition of integrated science process skills and science achievement. However, the difference in the acquisition of logical thinking abilities between male and female students is not statistically significant. This study has also shown the existence of moderate, positive and significant correlation among rural secondary students integrated science process skills, logical thinking abilities, and science achievement. Simple linear regression analysis found that logical thinking abilities significantly contributed 20.0% of the variance in students integrated science process skills. On the other hand, logical thinking abilities and integrated science process skills collectively accounted for 33.5% of the variance in rural secondary students science achievement. These findings showed that better logical thinking abilities will ensure better integrated science process skills and hence better science 11
achievement. Hence, those who are involved directly or indirectly in the planning and implementation of science curriculum need to plan effective intervention programs to increase students logical thinking abilities and integrated science process skills in the effort to improve rural secondary students science achievement. These follow-up efforts are crucial to ensure that our nations vision to establish a science and technology- based society will become reality.
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