Effect on Real-world Thinking Skills of Students Exposed to Practical Intelligence Approach Among Science Majors

Abstract

The focus of the study is to determine the real world thinking skills of students after being exposed Practical Intelligence (PI) Teaching Approach as an intervention in Genetics class.

The study used the Real-World Test, a type of test administered to measure the practical problem-solving skills of the students. The test is composed of common scenarios that high school students experience or encounter in a typical science class such as experimentations, working and communicating with the teachers and group leaders, maintaining discipline and cooperation among the group members and dealing with difficult situations.

Two sections of second year Genetics students in a university located in Northern Philippines were taught by the researcher using the PI Teaching Approach and the conventional approach, respectively for eight weeks during the second semester of School Year 2015-2016.

It was observed that the PI Approach group had a better grasp of how it is to connect or communicate with people at least within their group. Due to this, the students became more efficient in doing practical tasks as seen in their performance in laboratory activities and their enthusiasm in doing things practically. Also, it was observed that the PI Approach group considered the practical value of things as reflected in their attitudes (recycling of bottles and scrap materials in the lab) and in the recitation where they sounded the pragmatic considerations in making decisions.