Integrated Science Entry Grades Connection with End-of-Course Completion Grades in Science in a College of Education in Ghana

Abstract

Previous experience is essential in the teaching and learning process because it serves as a basis for learners in tackling subsequent problems. It is on the basis of this, the researchers took up this study to explore the relationship between the entry grades of pre-service teachers in integrated science and their end-of-course completion grades in science-related courses at the college level. The quantitative descriptive survey research design was employed in this study. A sample of 124 pre-service teachers was purposively selected for the study with a checklist as the data collection instrument. Frequencies, percentages, and Spearman’s rho were used to analyse the data collected. The study discovered a noteworthy result regarding the relationship between entry grades and academic performance in science-related courses. The findings revealed a weak positive correlation between pre-service teachers' integrated science entry grades from the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and their subsequent performance in general biology, chemistry, and physics at the college level. It emphasised the limited effectiveness of relying only on entry grades as a criterion for college admissions. Based on the findings, it was recommended that policymakers and colleges of education move beyond the singular reliance on entry grades in admissions and consider a more comprehensive approach incorporating a broader range of factors that influence academic performance.

Keywords: Entry grades, integrated science, pre-service teachers, biology, chemistry, physics

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-23-05

Publication date:August 31^st 2023