This study investigated the effect of practical work on students’ academic achievement, acquisition of scientific process, skills and attitudes towards the study of selected topics in electricity. Fifty (50) Form Two Physics students from a Senior High Technical School in the Kwaebibirem Municipal of the Eastern Region of Ghana participated in the study. Instruments used to collect data included a student learning evaluation form, questionnaire and pre-and-post-intervention tests. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and Microsoft Excel 2010 Computer Software. The findings indicated that the students’ academic performance were enhanced, they acquired important scientific process skills needed for science practical work and developed positive attitudes towards science practical work. The study recommended that Physics teachers should adopt practical work as a teaching technique and as well be encouraged to teach concepts alongside with practical activities.

The study investigated challenges affecting the teaching and learning of Integrated Science in rural Junior High Schools (JHSs) in the Effutu Municipality in the central region of Ghana. A qualitative approach was employed. Purposive sampling was employed to select six rural JHSs from the municipality. A closed-structured interview was used to collect data from head teachers, teachers, and pupils, and then analyzed. The study revealed that inadequate instructional materials and poor proficiency of pupils in the English language affected the teaching and learning of Integrated Science. The study concluded that if these challenges were addressed, teaching and learning of Integrated Science would be improved in rural JHSs. It is recommended that Integrated Science teachers should be trained to improvise instructional material using materials in the environment to teach the subject. This would help pupils to conceptualize scientific concepts as they interact with the materials. Again, pupils should be encouraged to build their English vocabulary to express and make informed contributions to the teaching and learning of integrated science.

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While pre-service science teachers are an important group of stakeholders in a nation’s pursuit of scientific literacy, scientific development and technological advancement in this modern era, this study sought to determine any gender differences in performance in Integrated Science among third year pre-service senior high school science teachers at the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana using the descriptive research design. The study used the sample of 168 students in five courses taken by the students at that level. The study employed the SPSS version 22.0 software to conduct an independent samples t-test so as to determine differences in performance between male and female students. Evidence from this study proves no gender gap in integrated science achievement among pre-service secondary school science teachers of the Department of Integrated Science Education of the University of Education, Winneba. The study recommends the need to conscientize females on the need to put up more positive attitudes towards the study of science and related courses, especially the physical sciences.

The study sought to establish differences in the effect of cooperative learning strategy with and without the instructional manual on the Senior High School students’ performance in Mechanics concepts in Physics in the Berekum Municipality, Ghana. The research design employed in this study was the experimental using the pretest and posttest equivalent control group design. A sample of 93 SHS 2 students, drawn from two intact classes was used. An instrument known as Mechanics Concepts Test (MCT) was employed in data gathering. Mean score, standard deviation; t-test, mean gain and effect size analysis were used to answer the research questions, while the independent sample t-test was used to test a hypothesis. The results revealed that students taught using the cooperative learning strategy with the instructional manual performed significantly better in the Mechanics Concepts Test (MCT) than those taught using the cooperative learning strategy only. Therefore, it is recommended that physics teachers should use the cooperative learning strategy along with the instructional manual in order to enhance the performance of students in secondary schools.