Laboratory Method as a Strategy to Develop Interest, Active Participation and Attention towards Learning

Science education in school cannot achieve its objectives if there is no interest and attention towards learning and lack of active participation in learning environment. Inorder to obtain objectives of science education and to develop interest, active participation and attention towards learning a suitable strategy of teaching learning should be designed. 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 interest, active participation and attention towards learning. The subjects of the study were 350 students (200 boys and 150 girls) of class VI of 6 different schools of Malda district selected randomly. The subjects were assigned to two groups. The experimental group was taught by laboratory method and control group was taught by conventional method. Simultaneously a group of 26 teachers were selected randomly from those schools for observing the two groups of students. An opinionnaire was given to them. The responses of the teachers were used to know the relative effectiveness of the laboratory method and conventional method. To know the relative effectiveness researcher uses χ2 test. The analysis conducted produces significant result. The result shows that laboratory method is proved as more effective method in the development of scientific process skills.