Changes in Science Achievement Following Hands-On Science Activities Among Grade 7 Non-Reader Learners

Background and Aim: Science instruction frequently requires learners to decode scientific vocabulary, read explanations, follow written procedures, and interpret text-based assessment items. These requirements may create additional barriers for Grade 7 learners identified as non-readers. Text-reduced, hands-on activities may provide an alternative access route by allowing learners to encounter scientific phenomena through observation, manipulation, demonstration, oral interaction, and guided experimentation. This study examined changes in Science achievement following a hands-on Science intervention among Grade 7 non-reader learners in a Philippine secondary school. Materials and Methods: The study employed a quantitative one-group pretest-posttest design. Forty-three Grade 7 learners identified by the participating school as non-readers participated through purposive sampling. The intervention consisted of 20 structured hands-on Science activities incorporating concrete materials, demonstrations, collaborative work, and visual or reduced-text instructions. Science achievement was measured using a 50-item Grade 7 Science Achievement Test administered before and after the intervention. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize achievement scores. A paired-samples t-test was used to examine the difference between pretest and posttest scores, and Cohen's dz was calculated as the standardized paired difference. Results: The mean Science achievement score increased from 13.47 (SD = 3.65) at pretest to 30.30 (SD = 4.09) at posttest. The reported mean increase was 16.84 points, with a 95% confidence interval of [15.19, 18.49]. A paired-samples t-test indicated a statistically significant difference between pretest and posttest scores, t (42) = 20.61, p < .001. The standardized within-participant difference was Cohen's dz = 3.14. Conclusion: The available achievement data indicate substantial improvement in Science test scores following the hands-on intervention. However, because the study employed a single-group pretest-posttest design without a comparison group, the observed improvement cannot be attributed exclusively to the intervention. In addition, the intervention combined hands-on activities with visual, oral, collaborative, and teacher-scaffolded strategies. The findings should therefore be interpreted as evidence of improvement following the intervention package rather than definitive causal evidence of intervention effectiveness.