DEVELOPMENT OF INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING DIFFICULT-TO-LEARN SCIENCE CONCEPTS USING PEER-ASSISTED LEARNING: A STUDY OF PRE-SERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS

Abstract

The purposes of this research were to 1) investigate the science indicators that pose challenges in instructional management at the lower secondary level, 2) develop teaching activities to address these challenging science indicators using a peer-assisted learning approach, and 3) evaluate pre-service science teachers’ satisfaction with the peer-assisted learning activities designed for these indicators. The target group consisted of 28 third-year pre-service teachers in the General Science Program, enrolled in the second semester of the 2024 academic year, selected through cluster sampling. The research instruments included: 1) a structured interview guide focused on identifying challenging science indicators at the lower secondary level, 2) peer-assisted learning activities designed for teaching these challenging indicators, 3) an observation form for evaluating instructional practices, and 4) a satisfaction questionnaire concerning the peer-assisted learning activities.

The results indicated that: 1) the challenging science indicators identified pertained to topics within physical and biological sciences for Grades 7 and 8; 2) the peer-assisted learning activities developed for addressing these indicators comprised four stages: lesson introduction, demonstration or exemplification, skill practice, and lesson summary and assessment; 3) pre-service science teachers' evaluation scores, including scores across all dimensions and overall, were significantly higher following the implementation of the peer-assisted learning activities (p < .05); and 4) pre-service science teachers demonstrated a very high level of satisfaction with the peer-assisted learning activities designed for teaching these challenging science indicators.