A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DISCUSSION AND DEMONSTRATION METHOD ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE OF CLASS IX STUDENTS OF WEST BENGAL BOARD OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

Background:-The selection of an appropriate teaching method plays an important role in effective Physical Science teaching. Discussion and demonstration are two commonly used instructional approaches that provide different learning experiences. Discussion encourages questioning, explanation, interaction and conceptual clarification, whereas demonstration enables learners to observe scientific principles through concrete and observable phenomena. The present study compares the effectiveness of Discussion and Demonstration Methods in teaching selected topics of Class IX Physical Science under WBBSE. Method:-A comparative classroom-based study was conducted with two sections of Class IX, comprising 30 students in each section. Two chapters, ‘Force and Motion’ as well as ‘Matter: Structure and Properties’, were selected for the study. A rotational (counterbalanced) quasi-experimental design was adopted involving two intact equivalent groups of thirty students each. Two chapters from the Class IX Physical Science curriculum were taught. Section A was taught Force and Motion through the Discussion Method and Matter: Structure and Properties through the Demonstration Method, while Section B received the reverse sequence.