Experimental Approach as a Methodology in Teaching Physics in Secondary Schools

Use of experiment as a teaching methodology for Physics in secondary school is crucial for successful concept delivery by the subject teachers and concept mastery by the learners. Delivering quality content in Physics in most schools in Kenya, nevertheless, has been met with a number of challenges such as inadequate trained teachers, lack of infrastructure (for instance, Physics laboratory, laboratory apparatus, and lack of Laboratory Assistants etc. For instance, in 2014 Gem Disctrict (in Kenya) 52% of teachers of Physics are untrained (that is, they lack basic training to qualify them as teachers of Physics). The contribution of this study is to establish the influence of teacher-based factors on the use of experiments in teaching Physics in secondary schools in Kenya (case of schools in Gem District). Specifically, the study addresses the following objectives: firstly, it determines the influence of the teacher’s professional qualification on the use experiments in teaching Physics; secondly, it establishes the influence of teacher experience on the use of experiments in teaching Physics and the influence of teaching load on the use of experiments in teaching Physics; and lastly, it establishes the influence of the lesson preparation on the use of experiments in teaching Physics. The study employs both descriptive survey and correlation design approaches with a population of 32 participants. Data is collected using questionnaires and interviews. A pilot study is done in 3 secondary schools to test the reliability of the data instruments (achieving Pearson’s r value of 80%) We use both descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean, percentages frequencies and Pearson’s r to analyse the quantitative data while qualitative data is transcribed, organized and categorized according to themes and sub-themes. The study results shows that teaching experience, teacher’s preparation, lesson planning and teaching load affect the quantity and quality of experiments carried out by Physics teachers.