Teaching physical science to weak pupils in high schools

The article describes a new physical science curriculum developed for the education of weak pupils at high school level. The basic rationale for the curriculum are that (i) modern science curricula which stress the acquisition of highly conceptual scientific knowledge and emphasize ‘scientific thinking’ are unsuitable for low ability pupils, and (ii) the interests of these pupils are best served by a curriculum that emphasizes the understanding of natural phenomena met by the pupils in their everyday life. The curriculum was evaluated in relation to cognitive achievements and attitude changes shown by the pupils. It was found that pupils who had followed the new curriculum, had significantly improved their attitude to and their attainments in the study of physical science, compared with a control group which had not studied the curriculum.