The Effects of Inquiry Instruction together with Scaffolding Technique on Science Learning Achievement and Scientific Explanation Ability of Grade 8 Students at Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawali School in Pathum Thani Province

Abstract

        The purposes of this research were to 1) compare science learning achievement and scientific explanation ability of Grade 8 students who learned by inquiry instruction together with scaffolding technique and students who learned by traditional instruction, and 2) compare the scientific explanation ability of the students, before and after learning through inquiry instruction together with scaffolding technique. The sample consisted of 87 Grade 8 students in 2 intact classrooms of Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawali School who studied in the second semester of the academic year 2021, obtained by cluster random sampling. One class was randomly assigned as an experiment group and another class was assigned as a control group. The research instruments were 1) lesson plans based on inquiry instruction together with scaffolding technique 2) lesson plans based on traditional instruction 3) a science learning achievement test, and 4) a scientific explanation ability test. The statistics used for data analysis were the mean, standard deviation, and t-test. The research findings showed that 1) science learning achievement and scientific explanation ability of the students who learned by inquiry instruction together with scaffolding technique was higher than the students who learned by the traditional instruction at the .05 level of statistical significance, and 2) scientific explanation ability of the students was significantly higher than their pre-learning counterpart ability at the .05 level of statistical significance.