Performance in Science Process Skills: The Influence of Subject Specialization

The purpose of this study was to determine how subject specialization influenced performance in Integrated Science Process Skills (ISPS). Quantitative approach was used. The target population was the 2014 second year trainees in five public Primary Teachers Training Colleges (PTTC) in the Rift Valley Zone in Kenya. Stratified proportionate random sampling techniques were used to select 300 trainees from both science and arts options. Test of Integrated Process Skills (TIPS) was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the data and independent t-test further used to analyze the data. This study found out that trainees specializing in science subject scored a higher mean in ISPS than trainees specializing in arts subject. The study further found out that there was statistical significant difference in performance in ISPS between trainees in the science option and those in the arts option. This study recommended that science subject in Kenya’s primary schools be taught by teachers who specialized in science during training, Kenya’s Ministry of Education to start in-service training for primary school teachers on implementation of Inquiry Based Science Education and Science tutors’ in PTTC to use Science Process Skill (SPS) approach in teaching of science. It further recommends that Kenya National Examination Council to include practical science examination to test acquisition and mastery of science process skills in Primary Teacher Education (PTE).