Laboratory Method and Development of Achievement in Science

Present article tried to examine the relative effectiveness of laboratory method and conventional method of teaching science at upper primary school level in the development of academic achievement in science. The subjects of the study were 350 students (200 boys and 150 girls) of class VI of 6 different schools of Malda district of West Bengal selected randomly. Subjects were assigned to two groups. The experimental group was taught by laboratory method and control group was taught by conventional method. After that a post test (achievement test) was administered on both the groups. Researcher then compared the significance of relative effectiveness of the two types of instructional methods. To know the relative effectiveness researcher uses descriptive statistics and t-test. The analysis conducted produces significant result. The result shows that laboratory method tends to provide higher level of achievement in science then conventional method of teaching. Laboratory method also produced higher achievement level among the boy as well as among the girls then the conventional method of teaching. There also exist significant difference in levels of achievement between boys and girls in group taught by laboratory method and in group taught by conventional method.