An evaluation of new science worksheets (1985) for form I

Abstract

The purpose of this evaluation was to collect data on the impact of the New Science Worksheets produced locally by Hr. U.J. Xerri, a Science Education Officer, on both teachers and pupils. The necessary data was collected through questionnaires and unstructured interviews with Integrated 8cience teachers teaching. Form I classes in the Maltese Islands only through mastery tests administered to a sample of four hundred eighty randomly chosen boys and girls from both Area Secondary schools end Junior Lyceums. The evaluation programme was spread over the period September 1985 and July 1986, that is, during the scholastic year in which the new material was first used by both teachers and pupils. Analysis of the data collected aimed to provide an insight into any required modifications regarding content. ln your size, language, objectives, diagrams as well as other aspects. In order for the evaluation study to proceed most efficiently, the different categories of pupils from whom the data was collected, were contasted using statistical techniques uucl1 as t-tests and Chi Square tests. The results show that, as expected, the Junior Lyceum, pupils had managed to achieve the objectives set for the worksheets, much more satisfactorily than the Area Secondary pupils so that the differences between them were often found to be statistically significant. From both the teachers' questionnaire and interviews, it was often found that teachers used the worksheets differently with the more able and loss able pupils. The language of the worksheets was found to be more difficult for the less able than the more able pupils. Teachers' comments about other issues, such as, layout, size of print, density of text, interest and relevance were often found very similar.