Banking the Jargon as an intervention to enhance conceptual understanding of Grade 9 Science-Earth and Space

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of banking the jargon as an intervention to enhance conceptual understanding of Grade 9 Science-Earth and Space in the learners’ academic performance. The study used a quasi-experimental design with an equal number of participants in the experimental and control groups. There were 32 participants from each of the two groups, who were all Grade 9 learners with a diversity of learning styles. Students in the control group received instruction without the intervention, while students in the experimental group underwent this intervention. The data obtained from both groups were analyzed using paired samples t-test and one-way ANOVA. The use of paired samples t-test revealed that both methods significantly increased the mastery of the students in Grade 9 Science-Earth and Space. The use of ANOVA in the post-test results showed a significant difference between the groups in favor of the experimental group. The learners in the experimental group performed better than the learners in the control group in understanding the concepts taught in the three modules of Grade 9 Science-Earth and Space. This implies that the intervention was effective. This result was validated by the results of the interview of ten (n=10) participants. Their responses were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that students have varied experiences in accomplishing and learning from the material. Further, all ten participants agreed that the intervention had helped them by widening their vocabulary which led to an easier understanding of the concepts taught.