Proposal - Physics
Proposal - Physics
BY
OCTOBER, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
CHAPTER ONE: Introduction........................................................................................................................3
Background of study....................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Historical Background............................................................................................................................3
1.2 Conceptual Background.........................................................................................................................4
1.3 Theoretical Framework..........................................................................................................................5
1.5 Statement of the Problem.....................................................................................................................7
1.6.0 General Research Objective................................................................................................................7
1.6.1 Specific objectives...............................................................................................................................8
1.7.0 Main Research Question.....................................................................................................................8
1.7.1 Research sub-questions......................................................................................................................8
1.8 Significance of the study........................................................................................................................8
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW....................................................................................................9
2.0 Introduction...........................................................................................................................................9
2.1 Attitude towards learning Science.........................................................................................................9
2.2 Students attitude towards physics.......................................................................................................10
2.3 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................13
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY..........................................................................................13
3.0 Introduction.........................................................................................................................................13
3.1 Research design...................................................................................................................................13
3.2 The Research Population.....................................................................................................................14
3.3 Sample Size and Sampling Technique..................................................................................................14
3.4 Types and Sources of Data...................................................................................................................14
3.5 Data Collection Methods.....................................................................................................................14
3.6 Data quality control/quality assurance................................................................................................14
3.6.1 Editing questionnaires......................................................................................................................14
3.6.2 Research procedure..........................................................................................................................15
3.6.3 Ethical Issues and Ethical considerations..........................................................................................15
3.6.4 Limitation of the study......................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................................16
APPENDICES..............................................................................................................................................19
APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE TO THE STUDENTS................................................................................19
APPENDIX 2: BUDGET ESTIMATES FOR THE RESEARCH PROCESS..............................................................23
APPENDIX: 3 WORKPLAN...........................................................................................................................25
Background of study
The attitude towards investigations in physics subject contains perceptions of students about the
way or in solving problems in the eye of physics. In studying physics subject, students usually
conduct investigations, both in class and in the laboratory. Although it covers traditional science
processes, the inquiry also refers to the incorporation of these processes with scientific
knowledge, reasoning and critical thinking (Lederman, et al, 2013). Students develop confidence
during school and in order to get conclusions, step by step is needed which must be followed in a
scientific method to produce new knowledge (Moeed, 2013).
According to Salleh (2004) Physics is a branch of knowledge about the material world. Nature
provides all the material resources that human beings need to live and manage their living. The
human beings material resources interaction must be based on some understanding on the
properties of matter, how they behave and the laws that they are subjected to. Physics is one of
the sciences in the secondary school curriculum and like other subjects it performs some vital
roles which help in the achievement of some national goals. Goodstein (1999) believes that, “a
solid education in Physics is the best conceivable preparation for the lifetime of rapid
technological and social change that our young people must expect to face”.
According to Salleh (2004), advancement in science and technology is coupled with the
deterioration of the ecosystem and greater use of chemicals and technologies that affect our
health systems, we therefore need the relevant science or physics knowledge and understanding
that can help us understand the physical world around us.
According to Hooper (1971), it is not enough that a child should have knowledge of his needs,
and thus, he must also be able to weigh one need against another and determine his priorities.
Kenya Institute of education (2002) outlines that students must choose at least two sciences or
chose all the three which include physics, chemistry and Biology. Statistics in 2010 and 2009
KCSE indicate that few students had chosen physics as one of the two or three sciences. This
indicates that there are factors which inhibit the choice of physics.
The study was guided by Atkinson’s (2007) achievement motivation theory and according to this
theory, achievement is associated with past task engagements over a time. For individuals with a
subjective history of success, a past achievement elicits a feeling of pride. This achievement
pride produces anticipatory goal reactions that energize and direct behavior to approach the new
task. For individuals with a subjective history of failure, on the other hand, a new task elicits a
feeling of shame. This achievement shame produces anticipatory goal reactions that energize and
direct behavior to avoid the new task.
According to De Cecco (1968) motivation refers to those factors which increase and decrease the
vigor of an individual’s activity and achievement motivation as the expectancy of finding
satisfaction in mastering challenging and difficult performances. There is a strong correlation
between motivation to learn and student achievement. One reason why some students try harder
than others is because they differ in achievement motivation, that is, their willingness in striving
to succeed at challenging tasks and to meet high standards of achievements.
According to Atkinson and Feather (1966), a central conflict facing children is the drive to
succeed and the urge to avoid failure. To work out this conflict, children evaluate whether or not
they expect to succeed in a task up against the premium placed on either success or failure. In
this kind of a situation students make choices. Brophy (1987), states that motivation to learn is a
competence acquired through experience but immediately encouraged through modeling,
statement of expectations and instruction by significant others. To this end what takes place in
the classroom and school setting is critical to student success. What is taught and how it is taught
exert tremendous influence on the students‟ motivation to learn. With that in mind, teachers are
heavily weighted variables in the equation of motivation. According to De Cecco (1968) the
teacher must help the student who lacks the desire to achieve to acquire it or the motive.
Repeated success will build confidence and the urge to move on and discover more but repeated
failure kills the morale to proceed especially where the student lacks support of the colleague,
teacher, school administration and even the parent. These motivational characteristics could be
shaped by the parent, teachers, learners themselves and the school administration. Thomas
(1980) and others have demonstrated a strong relationship between student attitudes towards
school and towards themselves as learners on one hand, and their achievement to motivation and
academic success on the other. A number of educators believe that student attitudes and
academic success or failure are largely due to the nature of their relationships in and with the
school. For instance, a study by Muli (2005) on the effects of head-teachers management styles
on performance in physics in Kitui district Kenya, found that performance in physics, indirectly
depends on the management styles of the head-teachers and is highly affected by their
management characteristics such as acquisition of textbooks, equipment, qualified teachers, and
proper guidance and counseling to change the attitude towards the subject and poor motivation of
teachers.
1.5 Statement of the Problem
In Uganda, physics was made a compulsory subject in 2005 at Uganda Certificate of Education
(UCE) level like other science subjects (Kabunga et al., 2016). Ministry of Education and Sports
provided at least 5,000 science kits to 1,341 schools across the country aiming at enhancing the
learning of science subjects and physics inclusive. Government of Uganda has constructed and
rehabilitated science 54 laboratories, supplied science text books and resource materials and in-
service trainings for science teachers (The Daily Monitor 6 May 2010). Still in 2005, the
Ministry of Education and Sports in conjunction with Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA) Introduced Continuous Professional Development (CPD) work-shops under the
Secondary Science and Mathematics (SESEMAT) program for science teachers in Uganda to
address the poor performance or failure rate in science subjects, physics inclusive. Despite all
Government’s efforts, students’ performance trend has continuously remained low to date in
science subjects, physics inclusive (UNEB, 2020). Evidence indicates that the number of
students who opt for the combinations at UACE with physics subject is very low, for instance
students’ performance in physics subject during the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education
(UACE) stands at 48.7% (2011), 48.5% (2012) and 41.5% (2013). This is coupled with reduced
numbers of candidature for physics subject from 13.8% in 2017 to 10.5% in 2018 specifically at
Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education in the country at large and Kabarole District
inclusive (Daily Monitor 28 February, 2019). Students’ attitude plays a key role in determining
the academic performance (Venkatesh et al., 2003). Students’ attitude towards learning physics
has significant direct effect on student’s achievement in the subject. The rising problem of
students’ attitude towards learning physics in Kabarole District needs to be addressed urgently
through concerted effort from students in order to improve the performance in physics subject.
Therefore, this study will assess students’ attitude towards learning physics curriculum content,
teaching methods and the physics teachers so as to lay strategies of improving their performance.
To determine, if there are significant differences between students’ attitude and the physics
teaching methods.
To establish, the relationship between students’ attitude and the physics teachers
The information from this study will also provide policy makers with data to back up the creation
of new policies to help improve students’ attitude towards learning physics and other subjects in
the region and Uganda at large.
To the school owners, managers, administrators and teachers, the research findings will be useful
to them since they are to provide highlights on what are the factors that lead to the persistent
poor performances in physics subject in secondary schools.
2.0 Introduction
This chapter presents recent literature on studies from different scholars that have done related
work on the student’s attitude towards learning physics in the different aspects. Therefore, this
chapter combines all studies that relate to the topic of study.
Similarly, attitudes are the act of feeling or thinking either positively or negatively towards
something in the environment (George, 2000). Attitudes are feelings of “like or dislike of an
object, person, or an event that characterize a human being (Heng & Karpudewan, 2015;
Hofstein et al., 1977). Moreover, attitudes are considered as outcomes that can be acquired
during the learning process (George, 2000; Oh & Yager, 2004). Therefore, students’ attitudes
change in their learning process either directly or indirectly through observation, experiences,
and the learning environment. Hence the change in attitude is mostly influenced by teachers,
parents, peers’ characteristics, and classroom environment (George, 2000; Talton & Simpson,
1987).
Kinaiya (2008) recommended that teachers should teach physics using different strategies like
field trips, projects, demonstrations, model constructions, class experiments and group experts to
develop curiosity in the learners. Munguti (2004) also found that the physics teachers’
characteristics such as the speed of talking, comments made to students in class and the style of
teaching sometimes puts students off such that some eventually drop the subject. However,
Wanbua (2007) recommends that physics teachers need to also know the attitude of their
students toward the subject and should strive to create a positive attitude in the students towards
the subject.
Poor academic performance in Physics has been a concern in many higher learning institutions in
the last years around the world. Different authors attribute this poor performance to different
causes, namely poor learning environment, poor teaching, inexperienced teachers, learning
approaches, cognitive style of students, career interest, influence of parents and friends, low
ability of the student, socio economic level and so on (Erdemir, 2009; e.g. Ibeh et al., 2013;
Olusola & Rotimini, 2012). But most of them agree that the attitude of students towards Physics
plays a big role in this poor performance. George (2006) defines the attitude towards science as
the positive or negative feelings about science, specifically to science classes. The attitude of a
student towards learning a subject has therefore an object of intensive research in the last years to
determine its responsibility in poor performance in science generally and physics in particular.
Once this responsibility is determined, researchers seek to find a way to improve the attitude in
order to improve students’ performance. Akinbobola (2009) introduced cooperative learning to
boost students’ attitude towards learning Physics. She found that students taught using
cooperative strategies show more positive attitude towards learning Physics compared to those
taught with competitive and individualistic strategies. Marusic and Slisko (2012) opted for active
learning to increase the students’ attitude towards Physics. A positive shift of attitudes was
observed in both groups of the experiment. In this research the attitude of Physics students
towards learning Physics was investigated before suggesting some strategies to be used to
improve this attitude and subsequently improve students’ performance in Physics subject.
Murphy and Whitelegg (2006), contends that the key determinants of students’ attitude towards
learning physics are; how students see themselves in relation to the subject, both now and in
future; their “physics self-concept”; their experience of school physics and a personally
supportive physics teacher. Students even if they are interested in the subject, need to feel that
they can do physics and this may be more significant for girls than boys. Studies have found out
that for some girls, as they continue with their study, their self-concept in relation to it decline
(Reid and Skryabin. 9; (2002).
Physics is considered as the most unpopular and known to be a boring subject compared to
chemistry and biology among students especially in rural areas (Veloo and Khalid, 2015; Guido,
2013; Olusola and Rotimi, 2012). In Malaysia it has been found that the level of educational
achievement in the subject of physics is considered as somewhat less satisfactory. Most of the
students in Malaysia have not been quite able to excel in physics because they are actually not
interested in studying it. Students’ interest towards learning physics has been found to be on the
decline across the stages of study. (Halim, Rahman, Ramli and Mokhfar, 2018).
Most of the students consider physics as a difficult subject, mainly due to the learning processes,
involved in understanding physics, which require learners to deal with different types of
representations, such as formulas, calculations, graphics representations and also a conceptual
understanding at an abstract level (Saleh, 2014; Angell et al, 2004; Sidin; 2003).
The lack of students’ understanding of the problem and their poor mathematical skills also
constitute the major obstacles in the circle of difficulties that students experience in solving
physics problems. (Fadaei and Mora, 2015).
Most of the students tend to have a negative attitude towards learning physics presumably
because they dislike the subject, do not obtain high marks in the examination even though they
have tried their best, the cramped physics syllabus, also do not like physics teachers or lecturers
(Halim et al; 2014; Olusula and Rotimi, 2012). Attitude affects the internal motivations which in
turn affect academic achievement and students’ participation in school (Visser, 2007).
Musyoka (2000) found that the majority of the students were scared by its quantitative nature
and its being too abstract especially when it is taught theoretically. He recommended for a
change in the approach to teaching of physics and proper guidance in schools. He further noted
that to maintain girls’ and boys’ interest and motivation to the study of physics, it is important
that they experience themselves as competent in the subject. Teachers need to monitor students’
views of themselves as competent learners of physics.
Attitude is an important concept in social judgments and behaviors and thus, is one of the most
important concepts in decision making (Venkatesh et al, 2003). Studies by Adesokan (2002)
indicate that attitude is one of the determinants in academic performance. It can therefore be
argued that learners’ attitude towards learning science subjects determines their performance in
the very subjects, physics inclusive.
According to Koech Report (1999), Kenyan institutions of learning failed to inculcate positive
attitude towards work and recommended a re-designing of the institution’s approach with a view
of improving this situation compounding to the overall problem of unemployment, laxity and
poor performance in both public and private sectors in the country.
Teachers’ behaviors and attitude are a key influence on a student’s attitude, motivation,
achievement and continuing participation (Labudde, 2000).
Because of a visible decline in the enrolment in physics and a fall in the interest in physics
around the world, many researchers have been made to estimate the attitude of students towards
physics at secondary schools and at universities (Milner-Bolotin et al. 2011; Halim et al 2018).
The attitude of a student towards learning has therefore been a subject and therefore an object of
intensive research in the last years to determine its responsibility in poor performance in science
in general and physics in particular.
2.3 Conclusion
The studies from the literature review indicate that students’ attitude affects learning physics and
sciences in general and they also showed that students have a negative attitude towards learning
science subjects.
3.0 Introduction
The chapter represents systematically the research methodology and research techniques that will
be used in this study. It includes; type of study, the study area geographical location, the study
population, variables and their measurements, sample size and sampling techniques, types and
sources of data, and the data collection methods.
This is where the data collection materials will be tested and or piloted and refined. This the
researcher will take into consideration the language spoken and understood by the respondents.
1. Permission letter for doing research and collecting data will be obtained from the district. All
measures to maintain human rights including informed consent; the right to participate in the
study, right to privacy and confidentiality and right to prevention from any type of harm will be
taken into consideration.
2. All Participants will be informed about the objectives of the study and that their participation
will be on voluntary basis. It will also be clearly clarified that the information to be provided
whether orally or in writing is to be for research purposes and with strict confidentiality.
3. All respondents will be permitted to withdraw their consent up to three days before data
submission.
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Physics through use of Co-operative, competitive and Individualistic learning strategies.
Australian Journal of teacher Education, 34(1), 1-9 https://doi-org/10.1422/aste.2009V34n1.1
Angell, C., Guttersrud, O., Hendrickson, E.K., & Isnes, A. (2004). Physics: Frightful, but fun.
Pupils’ and teachers’ views of physics and physics teaching. Science Education, 88(5), 683-706.
https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.10141
Fadaei, A.S., & Mora, C. (2015). An investigation about misconceptions in force and motion in
high school. US-China Education Review, 5(1), pp.38-45.doi:10.17265/2161-623X/2015.01.004
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Engineering, 2(11), pp2087-2093.
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Petaling Jaya: Pearson.
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students’ STEM self-efficacy on STEM and physics career choice. In AIP Conference
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Kabunga Amir et al., (2016) Learners’ Attitude and Performance in Science Subjects in Mbarara,
Uganda
Labudde, P. (2000), Girls and Physics: Teaching and learning strategies tested by classroom
interventions in grade II. International Journal of Science Education, 22(2), pp. 143-157.
Marusi, M., & Slisko, J. (2012). Many high School students don’t want to study physics: active
learning experiences can change this negative attitude! Revista Brasileira de Ensinode F’isica,
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physics at College of Science and Technology University of Rwanda. Rwandan Journal of
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Olusora, O.O., and Rotimini, C.D. (2012). Attitudes of students towards the study of Physics in
College of Education Ikere Ekiti, Ekiti state, Nigeria. American International Journal of
Contemporary Research, 2(12), pp.86-89.
Reid, N. and Skryabina, E. (2002) ‘Attitudes towards Physics’, Research in Science &
Technological Education, 20(1), pp. 67-81.
Sidin, R. (2003). Pembudayaan Sains Dan Teknologi: Satu Cadangan Piawai (Socialization of
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APPENDICES
Dear sir/Madam,
In this section, you are required to answer according to the following performance levels; 5=
Strongly agree, 4=Agree,3=Neither agree nor Disagree, 2=Disagree and 1=Strongly disagree.
School
In this part, you will answer following the criteria in C above where 5= strongly agree, 4=Agree,
3= neither agree nor disagree, 2=Disagree and1=strongly disagree.
S/NO Do you agree with the views? 5 4 3 2 1
This section is also to be filled following the same procedure in C and D thus,5= Strongly
agree, 4= Agree, 3= Neither agree nor disagree, 2=Disagree and 1=Strongly disagree
F. Relevancy of Physics
In this section, you will tick the correct answer according to how physics how physics is
relevant in the real -life situation following the linkert scale 5 as; 5= Strongly agree, 4=
Agree, 3=Neither agree nor disagree, 2=Disagree and 1=Strongly disagree.
Secretarial
Services:
Printing
40 pages x100 4copies 4,000x4 16,000
Binding
4copiesx3,000 4copies 3,000x4 12,000
b, Thesis
Secretarial
Services:
8 Miscellaneo 500,000
us
APPENDIX: 3 WORKPLAN
S/NO ACTIVITY PERIOD
2 Preparing and defending the research the research October 2021-June 2022
proposal
For advice.
defense
9 Executing advice after the defense meeting and December 2022-March 2023.