Assessing Students' Mastery and Attitudes Towards Basic Science Skills

A Cognitive Performance Analysis

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between students' mastery of basic science skills, their attitudes toward science, and their cognitive performance in junior secondary schools in Aba Metropolis, Abia State, Nigeria. Despite the recognised role of science education in national development, evidence suggests that many students struggle to acquire foundational scientific process skills, which hampers their performance and reduces their interest in science. The purpose of the study was to assess how mastery of selected science process skills (observation, classification, measurement, inference, and experimentation) relates to students' attitudes toward science and their cognitive performance in science learning tasks. A correlational research design was employed with a stratified random sample of 300 junior secondary school students drawn from public schools in Aba Metropolis. Data were collected through three validated instruments: a Basic Science Skills Test (BSST), a Science Attitude Scale (SAS), and a Cognitive Performance Test (CPT). Simulated findings indicate that students with higher mastery of science skills displayed more positive attitudes toward science and significantly better performance in cognitive tasks compared to those with weaker skill mastery. Results further suggest a strong positive correlation between mastery of basic science skills and cognitive performance (r = 0.68, p < .01), as well as between mastery of skills and attitudes toward science (r = 0.54, p < .01). The study concludes that improving the mastery of science skills is crucial to enhancing both performance and attitudes in science education. Recommendations are made for teachers, curriculum planners, and policymakers to prioritise activity-based learning strategies and digital support tools to foster more profound engagement with science.