CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background of the study
Today, in the modern world, it has become much easier to access all kinds of information. Any individual with an interest in learning about a subject can access a plethora of information in a variety of ways. So, nowadays, the important question is not how much information a person knows, but whether people know how to access information and whether they use and transfer this knowledge in diverse situations. When educating students, the students who benefit the most are those students who best understand how to access information, distinguish factual from false information, and utilize scientific knowledge to solve problems. In education, constructivism is one popular approach for training students to develop and use these skills. Constructivism, defined as an epistemology describing the nature of learning or a philosophical explanation, in recent years has deeply affected research studies in the field of education(Matthews 1998; Richardson 1997; Simpson2002; Tsai 1998). According to Yager (1991), some studies indicate that even students with hightest scores are not necessarily successful in integrating or comparing what they have learned, as well as, adopting what they have learned to their everyday lives. Due to findings from kinds of research, various countries have attempted to determine solutions for problems regarding quality education. Eventually, constructivism emerged as the approach which many believe can positively influence educational practices.
The 5E teaching cycle allows students and teachers to experience common activities, to use and build on prior knowledge and experience, to construct meaning and to continually assess their understanding of a concept. According to National research council NRC (2000) ,5E teaching cycle is an inquiry-based Teaching approach, constructivist- oriented strategy where students are involve in experimenting, questioning, and investigating credited to Roger Bybee who developed the 5E model (Bybee, Taylor, Gardner, Scotter, Powell, Westbrook, and Landes (2006). The 5 E-learning cycle model sequences learning experiences so that students have the opportunity to construct their understanding of a concept during the teaching and learning process (Bybee,2002). The model leads students through five phases of learning that are easily described using words that begin with the letter E: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration and Evaluation
- STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The low-ability students who need more attention are often neglected (Bitrus, 2012). There is therefore the need for teachers to give proper attention to students of different ability levels especially low ability students so as to improve their performance, hence, one of the aims of this study is to investigate the impact of 5E teaching cycle on pre- NCE students‘ academic performance, retention and attitudes among different ability levels. Since 2000, there has been an abundance of published researches that discuss the need to enact reform in science education, and there has also been an abundance of published researches regarding the benefits of inquiry-based practices in science education; however, there is a scanty of literature available on the use of 5E teaching cycle to improve students‘ performance. The problem of this study therefore is: What is the impact of 5E teaching cycle on academic performance.