Comparative Effectiveness of Indirect and Direct Teacher-Student Interaction Patterns in Science Instruction

Using an experimental research design, this study aimed to determine the effectiveness of indirect and direct teacher-student interaction patterns in the acquisition of science concepts and science process skills of two matched groups of the first year Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEEd) students of the Mariano Marcos State University College of Teacher Education. Both groups were pre- and post-tested using science concepts and science process skills tests. Mean was used to describe the performance of the students in both tests. The t-test was used to determine the significant difference between the pretest and posttest mean scores of the two groups. Results of the t-test showed no significant difference in the pretest mean scores of both tests while in the posttest, the indirect interaction group performed satisfactorily as compared to the direct interaction group where there were students who performed fairly in both tests. Thus, the t-score of the indirect interaction group was significantly higher than that of the direct interaction group. Indirect teaching is therefore more effective than direct teaching in the students’ acquisition of science concepts and science process skills. Thus, it should be given emphasis for the effective acquisition of science concepts and science process skills.