Effect of 5E Constructivist Instructional Approach on Students’ Achievement and Attitude to Physics in Senior Secondary Schools

The study investigated the effects of 5E constructivist approach on students’ achievement and attitude towards physics in secondary schools. Four research questions and four null hypotheses guided the study. Pretest post-test non-control group Quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study. The study was carried out in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State. The sample for the study comprises 149 SSI physics students. Purposive-sampling technique was used in selecting four (4) secondary schools out of the 35 secondary schools in Otukpo LGA. The experimental group was taught using 5E constructivist approach, while the control group was taught using conventional lecture method. The treatments lasted for six weeks. The instruments for data collection are Physics Achievement Test (PAT) and Physics Student’s Attitude Scale (PSAS). Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviations to answer the research questions while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was use to test the null hypotheses. The results revealed that 5E constructivist approach was superior to conventional instructional method in facilitating students’ achievement and attitude towards physics. There was statistically significant difference in the mean achievement scores of male and female students in physics after the treatment. However, no significant difference was found in the mean attitude scores of male and female students. In line with the findings of the study, recommendations were equally proffered among others that physics teachers should use 5E constructivist model in teaching, authors and textbook writers should adopt 5E constructivist approach when redesigning the curriculum in other to enhance students’ achievement and attitude to physics.