EFFECTIVENESS OF MICRO-LABORATORY AND TRADITIONAL LABORATORY APPROACHES IN DEVELOPING AND RETAINING BASIC SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18623/rvd.v23.7123Keywords:
Basic Science Process Skills, Micro-Laboratory, Traditional Laboratory, Practical Science Instruction, Secondary Science Education, Chemistry EducationAbstract
This study investigated the effectiveness of micro-laboratory and traditional laboratory approaches in developing and retaining Basic Science Process Skills among secondary science students. A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test non-equivalent control group design was employed involving 76 second-year science students drawn from two senior high schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. The experimental group (n = 40) received instruction through a micro-laboratory approach, while the control group (n = 36) was taught using the traditional laboratory approach. Data were collected using the Basic Science Process Skills Assessment and Retention Test (BSPSART), which assessed students’ abilities in observation, classification, measurement, communication, inference, and prediction. Descriptive statistics, Welch’s t-test, and Cohen’s d were used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that both instructional approaches contributed positively to the development and retention of Basic Science Process Skills. Although the micro-laboratory group recorded slightly higher mean scores in both the post-test and retention test, the differences between the groups were not statistically significant. Further analysis of individual skill domains indicated that students exposed to the micro-laboratory approach demonstrated relatively stronger competencies in observation, measurement, experimentation, data interpretation, and problem-solving. The study concludes that micro-laboratory instruction is as effective as traditional laboratory instruction in fostering Basic Science Process Skills among secondary science students. Given its affordability, reduced chemical consumption, improved safety, and ease of implementation, the micro-laboratory approach offers a practical and sustainable option for strengthening practical science instruction, particularly in resource-constrained educational settings.
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