Chapter I

CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE Introduction Physics encompasses the large and the small, the old and the new. From the atom to galaxies, from electrical circuitry to aerodynamics, physics is very much a part of the world around us. It is one of the most fundamental of the sciences (Young and Freedman, 1996). The study of physics is also an adventure. You will find it challenging, sometimes frustrating, occasionally painful and often richly rewarding and satisfying. It will appeal to your sense of beauty as well as rational intelligence (Young and Freedman, 1996). However, the 2005 findings of the two personal reviews of the European Physics Education Conference in Bonn, Germany showed that physics became a misunderstood area of science in schools. Butcher (2005) stated that students, when asked about physics, would tell that it is difficult, confusing and irrelevant to their lives. She further explained that this is so because of the training involved in physics thinking, the problem-solving abilities and mathematics. According to her, many people do not want to spend hours on mathematical functions, which is not essential to enjoying physics.

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The same is also true among Filipino students. Ask them and they will certainly conclude that is one of the toughest subjects in high school. This alarming situation is truly a big challenge among secondary physics teachers in strategically abandoning this idea in the minds of students. Often students entering their first course in physics anticipate having a “hard time”. Much of what they have heard from friends and relatives about physics courses leads them to believe that physics cannot be learned well by average person. This is simply not true. The secret to success in a physics course is to learn the material or concepts day by day. Trying to “cram” physics the night before an exam is what leads to the “hard time” in the course. Physics is a subject, which requires time for the concepts to be absorbed and understood. Physics is not learned by memorizing equations and then trying to find the right numbers to plug into them. Physics is learned by using it day after day to solve problems and by thinking about the concepts and relating them to everyday experience (McKenzie and Pica). So, how do we come about it? There are many ways how to make the learning experiences of students fun and fruitful. One can teach physics through tricks and games that will captivate student’s interests and imaginations, thus, paving the way for understanding the how’s and why’s of physics. In order to find out if the combination of these strategies is effective, the researchers pursue this research study with particular interest on the learning of students on the concepts of Newton’s Laws of Motion.

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Statement of the Problem 1. What are the bases for the tricks and games developed in this research? 2. How are the tricks and games modified and validated? 3. How effective are the tricks and games in learning the concept on Newton’s laws of Motion? 3.1 What is the performance of the respondents before and after the treatment? 3.2 What is the attitude of the respondents in the pre-attitude and post-attitude test? 3.3 Is there a significant difference between the performance of the respondents in the pretest and posttest? 3.4 Is there a significant difference between the attitude of the respondents in the pre-attitude and post-attitude tests? 4. What is the relationship between performance and attitude? 4.1 Is there a significant relationship between the pretest performance and pre-attitude response? 4.2 Is there a significant relationship between the posttest performance and post-attitude response? 5. How far are the mean performances and attitude responses of schools from each other? 5.1. Is there a significant difference in performance of the respondents among four schools?

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a.) Pretest Performance b.) Posttest Performance 5.2.

Is there a significant difference in attitude of the respondents among four schools? c.) Pre-attitude Response d.) Post-attitude Response

Null Hypothesis This study has formulated the following null hypotheses and tested at 0.05 level of significance. Ho1. There is no significant difference between the performance of the respondents in the pretest and posttest. Ho2.

There is no significant difference between the attitude of the respondents in the pre-attitude and post-attitude tests.

Ho3.

There is a significant relationship between the pretest performance and pre-attitude response.

Ho4.

There is a significant relationship between the posttest performance and post-attitude response.

Ho5.

There is a significant difference in pretest performance of the respondents among four schools.

Ho6.

There is a significant difference in posttest performance of the respondents among four schools.

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Ho7.

There is a significant difference in pre-attitude response of the respondents among four schools.

Ho8.

There is a significant difference in pre-attitude response of the respondents among four schools.

Significance of the Study The prime target of this study is to determine the effectiveness of tricks and games in teaching Newton’s three Laws of Motion in terms of the achievement and attitude of the respondents. This study likewise aims at responding to the needs of secondary physics teachers who are looking for ways how to make the learning experiences of their students enjoyable, fun and efficient without too much financial burden on the part of the teacher.

Scope and Limitation of the Study This study is limited only among 4th year high school students of four private schools in Iligan City namely MSU-IIT Coop Academy, St. Therese Academy, Sacred Heart High School and Corpus Christi Parochial School of Iligan. The concept taught to the respondents through the use of tricks and games revolved around Newton’s three laws of Motion. This was presented during the later part of the second grading period of school year 2008-2009.

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Operational Definition of Terms Achievement- refers to the difference between the scores of the respondents in the pretest and posttest Attitude- refers to the difference in appreciation of Physics as a subject before and after the treatment Games- indoor and outdoor activities which involve the physical abilities and body coordination of students who are motivated to win, thus enhancing teamwork and application of Newton’s three laws of motion Pretest- refers to the test given before the treatment Posttest- refers to the test given after the treatment Treatment- refers to the developed tricks and games given to the student Tricks- are demonstrations used in discussing the concept ion Newton’s laws of motion