The Synthesis of Research Studies on Scientific Process Skills of Students at Basic Educational Level by Using Meta-analysis

Abstract

The purposes of this research were 1) to investigate the characteristics of research studies on students’ scientific process skills published during 2004 to 2013, 2) to analyze good predictors for the effect size of the scientific process skills, and 3) to synthesize the suggestions for the students’ scientific process skill development. This research employed the meta-analysis method to synthesize the theses of graduate students published during 2004 to 2013. The tools for data collection were
1) the research quality assessment form, 2) the coding form based on characteristics and hypothesis of research, and 4) the recording from based on the suggestion of research in developing scientific process skills. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, mean of effect size, analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis.

The research findings were as follow:

1. The survey of research studies to be included in this study, the analysis of good predictors for the effect size of the scientific process skills, and the synthesis of the suggestions for the scientific process skill development. Over two thousand (2,009) effect sizes were found in those 103 research studies under this study. The average effect size of the studies conducted by those under the jurisdiction of the Office of Private Education was found to be the highest
   (= 2.04, SD = 4.444).
2. The factor found to have the highest effect size for the scientific process skills was the teaching through computer-assisted programs (= 0.260).
3. It was suggested that offices of educational service areas and administrators encourage and monitor the teachers’ uses of computer-assisted teaching, constructivism multimedia programs, and the inquiry approach in teaching the scientific process skills.