Scientific Literacy Skills of Senior High School Students in the New Normal Education
Keywords:
scientific literacy, process skills, senior high school, new normal education, contextualized instruction, inquiry-based learning, learning loss, pandemic education, PhilippinesAbstract
This study assessed the scientific literacy skills of Senior High School students in the context of the new normal education in a large public secondary school in Central Philippines. Using a descriptive-comparative research design, the study measured students’ proficiency in six basic science process skills—observing, classifying, communicating, measuring, inferring, and predicting—using the Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS). A stratified random sample of 298 Grade 11 and 12 students from different academic tracks and socioeconomic backgrounds participated in the study. Descriptive statistics revealed that students across all groups demonstrated very low levels of scientific literacy, with measuring, inferring, and predicting identified as the weakest skills. Inferential tests showed no statistically significant differences in scientific literacy levels when grouped by sex, grade level, track, or socioeconomic status, highlighting the widespread nature of the learning gap. Significant differences, however, were found between specific skill domains. These findings point to systemic instructional challenges exacerbated by the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study recommends the development of contextualized task cards and inquiry-based interventions to address skill-specific gaps and enhance student engagement in science learning.
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