Twenty-eighth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to determine the effect of problem-solving instructional strategy on students’ academic achievement and interest in physics. Three research questions and three hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design was used. Eleven thousand three hundred and twenty-seven (11327) senior secondary two (SS II) Physics students in Bauchi State made up the population of the study. Simple Random sampling techniques were used for the selection of the zones (clusters) and the schools. Physics Achievement Test (PAT) and Physics Interest Inventory (PII) were the instruments used for data collection. The data collected were analysed using mean, standard deviation for research questions, and t-test for the hypotheses. The results revealed that problem solving strategy is the most effective approach for teaching physics to secondary school students. Problem solving instructional strategy has a significant influence on interest of students toward learning physics. Moreover, gender has no influence on student’s achievement and interests in physics. By implications, it was recommended among others that, the government should encourage curriculum planners and physics teachers of secondary schools to adopt problem solving instruction as teaching approach for physics students in secondary schools to improve their academic achievement and interest towards learning physics.