ERIC Number: EJ854266
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0126-7663
EISSN: N/A
Relationships among Four Learner Variables and the Performance of Selected Jamaican 11th-Graders on Some Structured Questions on the Mole Concept
Ellis-Hall, Nadine; Soyibo, Kola
Journal of Science and Mathematics Education in Southeast Asia, v27 n2 p1-26 2004
This study sought to find out if (a) the performance of 113 Jamaican 11th-graders on a mole concept test was satisfactory or not; (b) there were significant differences in their performance linked to their chemical and mathematical abilities, gender and socioeconomic background (SEB); and, (c) there were significant relationships among the four independent variables and their performance on the test. The participants, comprising 66 boys and 47 girls, were selected from three traditional high schools in Kingston, Jamaica. Nine structured questions that the authors constructed were used to assess their performance. The results revealed that the students' performance was unsatisfactory as their mean score (10.65 or 23.67%) was far below the conventional 50% pass mark; there were significant differences in their performance based on their chemical and mathematical abilities in favour of students with high abilities in both cases; and, there was a positive, statistically significant and "substantially reliable" correlation (Miller, 1991) between the students' chemical abilities and test performance ( r = 0.58, p less than 0.001), mathematical abilities and performance (r = 0.56, p less than 0.001) all in favour of students with high abilities in each case, while the correlation between their (a) gender and performance (r = 0.37, p less than 0.01), and (b) SEB and performance (r = 0.27, p less than 0.01) was positive, statistically significant but weak in each case. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, High School Students, Chemistry, Scientific Concepts, Science Tests, Scores, Performance, Predictor Variables, Gender Differences, Socioeconomic Background, Nonverbal Ability, Correlation, Latin Americans, Secondary School Science
Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Education in Science and Mathematics (SEAMEO RECSAM). Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, 11700 Gelugor, Penang, Malaysia. Tel: +011-60-4-658-3266; Fax: +011-60-4-657-2541; e-mail: director@recsam.edu.my; Web site: http://www.recsam.edu.my
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 11; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Jamaica
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A