Can more practical, rather than theoretical teaching of STEM subjects improve student participation and performance?

Methods

Summary

This project will use the Randomized control Trial design. Selection of school that will be in the intervention or control group will be done by balloting, using secondary schools in Buea Municipality where Physics and Mathematics are taught.  Whether a student receive the intervention or not will depend on whether the student is a physics or Maths student in the intervention or control school. The intervention school will received the designed practical approach to the teaching of Physics and Mathematics while those in the control school will be left under usual care or the usual teaching system.

Development of a Training Manual

We have a manual developed based on the goal of this project, which is to enhance learning experiences, participation and performance in secondary school students because scientific inventions can only come from people who had the right academic exposure. The manual is in modules and will be used to train physics and Mathematics teachers in the participating  intervention school 

Training of teaching Assistants

This will be a train the trainer approach to make the teachers verse with the practical approach to teaching physic and Mathematics that need to be adopted and used throughout the academic year 2023/2024. 

Description of the Intervention and Control Conditions

The topics under each subject will not only be taught but students will be taken to the field to take part where necessary, or observed, the practical application of what is thought in the classroom. Application of what is being thought will not only be given as an example at the end of each topic, but student need to see it , or do it in practice by visiting hospitals, mobile phone companies, radio stations, road construction sites and dams and other practical sites so as to enhance their learning experience 

Measuring Impact of Intervention

 Our goal is to find out whether more practical, rather than theoretical teaching of STEM subjects can improve student participation and performance? primary outcome is to improved love, participation and performance in the selected STEM subjects.  Monitoring and evaluation of performance will be done after every three months by assessing the first and second term results physics and mathematics results of students in both the control and intervention schools. Finally, the impact of this approach will be evaluated during the third term by comparing performance of the students in control and intervention schools.

Challenges

This approach to teaching is not what is usually observed in this area as most teaching end within the walls of the classroom with the practical application just mentioned at the end of the lesson passively. Access to some scientific sites like companies at time may be challenging. In such situations, we will present our protocol to the regional delegates concern and obtain administrative authorizations to give the students access.