ASSESSMENT ON TEACHER’S GUIDED INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURE FOR REFLECTIVE THINKING STRATEGY

ASSESSMENT ON TEACHER’S GUIDED INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURE FOR REFLECTIVE THINKING STRATEGY

INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Several methodologies, tactics, and strategies have been used to improve delivery of the subject’s contents, ideas, principles, and philosophies in Nigerian classrooms over the years. The majority of activities are teacher-centered (lecture method) rather than student-centered (directed discovery approach), which influences how students understand the material as well as their overall performance in Basic Science. Despite previous research revealing that most of the methods, techniques, and strategies used in the classroom by Nigerian teachers to teach Basic Science are not stimulating enough to pique students’ interest and curiosity to ask why, how, where, and when a particular answer or solution is reached. During the lesson, the students are more of passive listeners, which does not work.

build confidence or the ability of the students to engage in rational thinking, thought-provoking conversations, and argument on the entire process of arriving at a solution to the problem. Responsibility must be assigned to each and every one of the students in order for them to understand the significance of every decision and choice made in order to arrive at any feasible solution to a problem. This can be accomplished by teachers providing activities that encourage students to engage in critical and rational thinking in order to reach a solution while also assisting in the development of the student’s scientific personality.

In his 1910 book “How We Think,” John Dewey introduced the concept of “reflective thought.”

a work designed for teachers. Dewey acknowledged philosophical debts to both William James and Charles S. Peirce. Dewey’s most fundamental assumption was that learning improves to the extent that it emerges from the process of reflection. Reflection terminology proliferated over time, spawning a slew of synonyms such as “critical thinking,” “problem solving,” and “higher level thought.”

Reflective practice is a systematic investigation into the motivations, methods, materials, and outcomes of educational practice. It enables practitioners to examine conditions and attitudes that impede or enhance student achievement with care. Reflective teachers are many things, including

(1) Are sensitive to individual students’ educational and emotional needs;

(2) Examine personal goals and actions; and

(3) Conduct regular reviews

goals, methods, and materials for instruction (Pollard & Tann, 1987).

The paradigm of reflective practice is not new. John Dewey explained the concepts of reflective thinking and teaching in his seminal work, ‘How We Think,’ published in 1909.

(Must evaluate potential problem solutions in light of existing information, which may be incomplete and unverifiable? Reflective thinking necessitates a continuous assessment of beliefs, assumptions, and hypotheses in relation to existing data and other plausible interpretations of the data. The resulting judgments are presented as reasonable synthesises or integrations of opposing points of view. Reflective thinking judgments are more likely to be valid and insightful than beliefs derived from authority, emotional commitment, or narrow reasoning because they involve ongoing verification and evaluation.

Dewey, 1933, 1938). 1) (King and Kitchener) When confronted with problems with uncertain solutions, John Dewey, King, and Kitchener propose that individuals engage in reflection. When no authority figure has an answer, they believe no single answer is correct, and the solution cannot be derived using formal logic. In this case, uncertainty or belief in uncertainty is a necessary condition for reflective thinking to occur. Individuals must recognize that some problems may not be solved by a single absolute truth.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Over the years, Nigerian students’ overall performance in Basic Science has been subpar, owing primarily to the methods, techniques, and strategies used in teaching the subject. are not stimulating and scientific enough, resulting in poor performance by students in the subject. There is no doubt that the variables mentioned above work against optimal student achievement in Basic Science in Nigerian classrooms. The majority of these approaches spoon-feed students answers and solutions to problems while keeping them in the dark about the processes that led to the answers and solutions. Furthermore, the teacher is the focus of the majority of class activities rather than the students. Instead of reflecting pure knowledge, this will simply turn students into shadows of their professors. Tasks that require rational thought and reflection must be assigned to students in order for them to feel more confident in the knowledge they seek. As a result, this study will look into

how the Reflective Thinking method affects students’ Basic Science performance, and whether students who are exposed to the reflective practice approach outperform those who are not.

1.3 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this research project is to discover the following;

i. To assess the impact of the four stages of the “Reflective Thinking Strategy” on overall student academic performance in Basic Science.

ii. Determine whether the ‘Reflective Thinking Strategy’ and its practices can improve students’ understanding of the Basic Science principles, concepts, and contents.

iii. Determine whether the “Reflective Thinking Strategy” influences students’ academic performance in Basic Science.

iv. To see if students who are exposed to the reflective practice approach perform better in basic science than those who are not.

reflective strategy.

1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH

v. What are the four stages of the ‘Reflective Thinking Strategy’ on the overall academic performance of students in Basic Science?

vi. Do the reflective thinking strategy and its practices improve students’ understanding of the Basic Science principles, concepts, and contents?

vii. Does the “Reflective Thinking Strategy” influence students’ academic performance in Basic Science?

viii. Do students who are exposed to the reflective practice approach outperform those who are not exposed to the reflective strategy in basic science?

1.5 THE STUDY’S SIGNIFICANCE

The purpose of this study, “The effect of Reflective Thinking Strategy on Students’ Achievement in Basic Science in Nigeria Classrooms,” is to determine the significant role that “Reflective Thinking Strategy” plays in students’ academic performance and what students stand to gain from it.

If exposed to the reflective thinking practice, they will benefit.

This research will also benefit the Education Ministry, Schools, and Teachers by providing a teaching method that has been found to involve all levels of the Bloom taxonomy, and it will highlight the benefits of a reflective practitioner over a non-reflective practitioner.

Overall, this research project work will emphasize to the public that the teaching of Basic Science is expected to lay a solid foundation for scientific and reflective thinking, resulting in a radical shift in teaching strategy from chalk and talk science teaching to enquiry.

1.6 STUDY SCOPE AND DELIVERY LIMITATIONS

This study’s scope was strictly limited to the methods and strategies used in the

Teaching the subject, the effects on students’ academic achievement, and ways to encourage students to engage in reflective thinking are all discussed.

1.7 THE STUDY’S LIMITATIONS

The researchers encountered minor constraints while conducting the study, as with any human endeavor. The significant constraint was the scarcity of literature on the subject because it is a new discourse, so the researcher incurred more financial expenses and spent more time sourcing for relevant materials, literature, or information and in the data collection process, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited sample size covering private and public secondary schools in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria. As a result, the findings of this study cannot be generalized to women in other states within the United States. Nigeria. Furthermore, the researcher’s involvement in this study while also working on other academic projects will impede maximum dedication to the research. Nonetheless, despite the constraints encountered during the research, all factors were minimized in order to provide the best results and make the research successful.