Multiple Representations as Tools for Enhancing Students’ Critical Thinking and Attitudes Towards Physics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63561/fnas-jmse.v6i4.906Keywords:
Attitude, Critical Thinking Abilities, Multiple Representations, Physics Concepts, StudentsAbstract
Especially when it comes to challenging physics subjects, the use of different representations has the potential to improve students' comprehension and meet the demands of a varied student body. This study investigates how different representations affect students' attitudes toward physics and their capacity for critical thought. Forty public senior secondary school II physics students (11th grade equivalent) make up the sample, which was drawn from two intact classes of two public senior secondary schools that were randomly chosen from public senior secondary schools in Education District V, Lagos State, South-West Nigeria, using a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design.The students were 15 years old on average. The Questionnaire on Students Attitude towards Physics (QOSATP) and the Physics Critical Thinking Test (PCTT) were the two tools used in the study. The instruments' reliability coefficients, as determined by the test-retest technique of analysis, were 0.82 and 0.73, respectively. The research issues were addressed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation), whereas the null hypotheses were tested using inferential statistics (ANCOVA) at the.05 level of significance. The findings demonstrated a statistically significant difference between students taught physics with multiple representation [MR] and those taught using the lecture method in terms of their critical thinking skills [F (1,37) = k97.66; p<.05] and those taught physics with multiple representation [MR] and those taught using the lecture method in terms of their attitude scores [F (1,37) = 7.00, p >.05]. Multiple representations improved students' critical thinking skills and attitude toward physics, according to the study's limitations. Among other things, it was suggested that physics instructors use this method when instructing physics in senior high schools.
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