The relationship between laboratory skills proficiency and laboratory application skills among grade 9 students of ISPSC

Abstract

This study aims to determine the laboratory skills proficiency of Grade 9 students of Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College and their relationship to academic performance in Science. Literature review was conducted to provide a deeper understanding of these concepts. The study employed the descriptive assessment and correlational research design utilizing the weighted mean and Pearson r correlation to analyze the data which  were gathered  through validated and reliability-tested instruments. The sample included 61 students Grade 9 Laboratory High School students of the Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College enrolled in science 9 from Santa Maria Campus and Tagudin Campus which are satellite campuses of ISPSC  with two (2) teachers  who evaluated the two (2) groups of students. Findings revealed that the students perceived themselves to demonstrate a very highly skilled level of laboratory skills proficiency in terms of safety skills, manipulative skills, observation and measurement skills, data recording and interpretation skills in all these parameters. There is a highly applied application of laboratory skills of the students as evaluated by the faculty. The teachers’ perceptions of students’ laboratory into how well classroom instruction translates into real-world science. From the teachers’ lens, highly applied laboratory proficiency among Grade 9 students is not just a performance metric – it’s a multiplier.  In the Pearson r indicated a no significant correlation between  laboratory skills proficiency and laboratory application  skills among students leading to the rejection of the hypothesis.  Study suggests further research with a larger sample and additional variables more comprehensively assess these outcomes.