The Development of Scientific Concepts of Upper Secondary School Students under the Nakhon Si Thammarat Municipality through the 5Ks Steps Learning Process Based on Constructivist Theory

Abstract

The objectives of this research were: (1) to study instructional approaches employing the 5Ks Steps learning process based on constructivist theory to enhance students’ scientific concepts, and (2) to examine the outcomes of developing students’ scientific concepts through the 5Ks Steps learning process grounded in constructivist principles. This study employed a quasi-experimental design. The sample consisted of 30 Grade 12 students from Phetcharik Demonstration School under Nakhon Si Thammarat Municipality. The research instruments included (1) eleven lesson plans designed according to the 5Ks Steps learning process, and (2) a 40-item scientific concept test. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a t-test.

          The findings revealed that: (1) the instructional approach based on the 5Ks Steps learning process—comprising the stages of exploring prior knowledge, enriching new knowledge, conceptualizing, organizing comprehensive understanding, and verifying comprehension—provided a systematic and sequential learning process that effectively facilitated students’ construction of scientific concepts; and (2) students’ post-test scores were significantly higher than their pre-test scores at the .05 level of statistical significance. These results indicate that the 5Ks Steps learning process based on constructivist theory effectively enhanced students’ scientific conceptual development.