Effectiveness of productive thinking model on problem solving ability in physics and self-concept of ix standard students

Abstract

The present study is an attempt to implement Productive Thinking Model and find its effectiveness over Existing Method of Teaching on Problem Solving Ability in Physics and Self-Concept of Standard IX students. Productive Thinking Model is a Model widely used in marketing field to increase productivity. here, the investigator made an attempt to implement it in the sphere of education. Other researchers already tried to develop such a Model in Elementary schools but their works only focused on the development of Productive Thinking Model as a teaching model not extended to implement the model and finding the effectiveness of such a model in the schools. Investigator with the help of supervising teacher made necessary changes and modifications by considering existing Models of teaching in order to make it appropriate in educational field. The method adopted for the study was experimental in nature. Solomon Four Group Design was the research design adopted for the study. Two control groups (control group I and control group II) and two experimental groups (experimental groups I and II) are included in this design. The Productive Thinking Model was used to instruct Experimental Groups I and II. The Kerala state syllabus was used to teach the control groups utilising the present method of instruction used in Standard IX. Only one Experimental group and one Control group received pre-tests out of the four groups. While post-tests was given to all the four groups. Students in Kerala state syllabus schools enrolled in standard IX were the population under consideration for the experimental study. Four intact standard IX classrooms with about 40 pupils each made up the study's sample. All together 170 students from four divisions of these two schools. 88students were given experimental treatment (Experimental group I & II) and 84 were given control treatment ( Control group I &II). The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase the investigator conducted an interview on Secondary School Physics Teachers to find out their views on Instructional Strategies, Methods and Models using a Semi-Structured Interview Schedule. In the second phase the actual experimentation was conducted to know the impact of Productive Thinking Model over Existing Method of Teaching on Problem Solving Ability in Physics and Self concept of standard IX students. The findings of preliminary survey revealed that teachers understand the desired effects of many strategies including logical thinking, reasoning, technology advancement, and knowledge sharing. However, the majority of teachers are unwilling to implement such methodologies in the present classroom environment. Also teachers are aware of multiple methods for providing education, but they confront certain obstacles in executing them like, time constraints, classroom management, assessment challenge etc. Again the physics teachers in secondary schools had proposed various solutions to get beyond the limitations they face while putting techniques, strategies, and models of instruction into practice. As per the result from the experimental phase the Productive Thinking Model can be considered as an effective model to develop Problem Solving Ability and Self concept among standard IX students over Existing Method of Teaching. Results also shows that the Pre-tested and non pre-tested groups significantly differed both in their Problem Solving Ability in Physics and Retention. In both cases, Pre-tested and non pre-tested Experimental groups were seen to be Superior over the Control groups. This underlies the advantage of Productive Thinking Model over Existing Method of Teaching with regard to Problem Solving Ability in Physics. From the results of analysis it is evident that student who taught through Productive Thinking Model Perform well than that of students who taught through Existing Method of Teaching. It highlights the need for new method or way of teaching other than existing one.