The effects of instruction on integrated science process skill achievement

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Abstract
While the philosophical importance of the integrated science process skills is often unchallenged, there is a lack of research with middle and secondary school students to indicate when or how these skills might best be taught. In this study different patterns and amounts of instruction on planning experiments were used with sixth‐ and eighth‐grade students. A model for generating integrated process skill lessons was used to produce all lessons. Treatment One involved a two‐week introductory unit on integrated process skills, followed by one period‐long process skill activity per week for 14 weeks. Treatment Two involved only the same two‐week introductory unit. Treatment Three was a contrast group which received only content oriented instruction. Results showed that both sixth‐ and eighth‐grade students can learn to use certain integrated process skills; growth was apparent in identifying variables and stating hypotheses. Differences generally favored treatment one over treatment three. No differences favoring any treatment were found for formal operational ability outcomes.