Perceptions and Practices of Students about Physics Learning Materials at Secondary Level: A Comparative Study of Government and Private Schools

Abstract

This comparative case study is carried out to know the usage of physics learning materials in schools and also the impact of these materials on students’ learning. The context of this comparative study is Government and private schools of Khairpur Mirs. This research study aims to know the usage and impact of physics learning materials. The methodology of this study is qualitative and comparative case study is done within it. A total number of research participants for this study was ten (10), all participants were students of both schools and five participants were selected from each school. Those participants were selected through a purposive sampling technique. After analysis of the data, it was found that physics learning materials were being used in Private school, while in other type of schools such sort of materials were not being used, even materials were not available in the laboratories of those schools. Research findings also show that students of Government school face more challenges as compared to the students of private school and there are many reasons for these issues or challenges faced by Government students. It is also found that Government school is deprived of well-equipped physics laboratory. Moreover, the usage of learning materials helps students learn topics easily and effectively. There is a need to conduct this research in a broader context such as province level or country level, as we have done this study in one of the cities of Sindh province. It is suggested that Government should provide well-equipped laboratories to Government Schools and also organize training programs for Physics teachers.