The Effects of Problem-Based Learning Management in the Topic of Life in Environment on Scientific Problem Solving Ability and Attitude toward Science of Mathayom Suksa IV Students of Extra Large Schools in Nakhon Pathom Province

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to 1) compare the scientific problem solving ability of students who studied with problem-based learning and students who were taught by the conventional teaching method and 2) compare the attitudes toward science of students after being taught by problem-based learning and conventional teaching method. The research sample were 74 students from two intact classrooms in Mathayom suksa IV in the first academic year of 2019 from Phrapathom Wittayalai school, the extra large size school in Nakhonpathom province. The samples were obtained by cluster random sampling. One classroom was randomly assigned as the experimental group with the problem-based learning method. Another classroom was, a controlled group, with conventional teaching method. The research instruments were 1) problem-based learning lesson plans and typical lesson plans in the topic of life in the environment, 2) the scientific problem solving ability test, and 3) the attitudes toward science questionnaire. The data were analyzed by using Mean, Standard Deviation, and t-test. The results were as follows 1) the scientific problem solving abilities of students who were taught by problem-based learning were significantly higher than the students who were taught by conventional teaching method at .05 level, and 2) the attitudes toward science scores of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of students after being taught by conventional teaching method at .05.