Instructional resources and students' acquisition of practical skills in Physics in Private Secondary schools in Luwero District.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between instructional resources and students’ acquisition of practical skills in Physics in private secondary schools in Luwero District. Specifically, the study sought to examine the relationship between each of the two attributes of instructional resources, namely (i) availability and (ii) utilization and students’ acquisition of practical skills in Physics.

The correlational study comprised all the Physics students from registered private secondary schools in the three counties of Luwero District, out of which 200 students from 10 randomly selected schools were sampled. Data were collected using a questionnaire and an observational guide, and analyzed using descriptive statistics (counts, percentages, means and standard deviations), bar graphs and Pearson’s linear correlation.

Results showed a significant positive correlation between availability of instructional resources and students’ acquisition of practical skills in Physics. Results of the study further revealed that there is a significant positive correlation between utilization of instructional resources and students’ acquisition of practical skills in Physics. Based on these findings, it was concluded that availability and utilization of instructional resources are pre – requisites for students’ acquisition of practical skills in Physics.

It was recommended that the Ministry of Education and Sports should further tighten the licensing criteria of private secondary schools focusing majorly on the availability of instructional resources, and strict monitoring as well as supervision of these schools thereafter be prioritized in a bid to positively influence students’ acquisition of practical skills in Physics. It was further recommended that stakeholders should strengthen and widen opportunities for students to effectively and efficiently utilize the available instructional resources as an avenue to positively influence students’ acquisition of practical skills.