Does process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) improve students’ science academic performance and process skills?

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the effects of process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) on the academic performance and science process skills of Grade 10 Filipino students in science. Specifically, this study aimed to (1) determine and compare the level of academic performance of students when exposed to POGIL and non-POGIL and (2) assess the scientific process skills of students before and after being exposed to POGIL and non-POGIL. Two (2) Grade 10 were tested using POGIL and the traditional lecture method (non-POGIL). Using a teacher-made pre/post assessment and an adapted basic science process skills test, results showed that (1) the academic performance of the POGIL class was ‘Satisfactory’ (x̄ = 77.76), while the non-POGIL class attained the ‘Fairly Satisfactory’ level (x̄ = 67.00); a statistically significant difference was found to occur for the level of academic performance between the POGIL and non-POGIL groups (f = 31.072; p < 0.001). (2) The science process skills of the students in POGIL were ‘Nearing Mastery’ (x̄ = 6.68), while the non-POGIL reached ‘Moving towards Mastery’(x̄ = 5.99); there was a statistically significant difference in the science process skills of learners between POGIL and non-POGIL groups (t = 4.52; p = 0.006).

KEYWORDS:

• Process-oriented guided inquiry learning
• science education
• science process skills
• inquiry-based learning

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.