The Fiji Junior Certificate Basic Science examination, Its implications in the teaching of science

Abstract

A decade or two ago, science education was primarily concerned with transfer of scientific knowledge from teacher to pupil. The teaching strategies, mainly teacher-centred, were designed to facilitate this process. Likewise, the evaluation procedures were designed to evaluate the extent to which this transfer of scientific knowledge of facts, rather than processes, had taken place. Pencil-and paper examinations, mainly emphasizing recall of information, were successful for this purpose. In recent years, however, science curricula have placed more emphasis on developing a broader range of educational objectives. Terms such as process skills, activity-oriented, laboratory skills, and student interests and attitudes commonly pervade the writings on science curricula (UNESCO 1985).