I.

LITERATURE REVIEW

This part presents the important literature and studies the theoretical and conceptual

framework of the study.

Basic Science Process Skills

The basic science process skills are the thinking skills that a persons do when they learn

and examine. Using the senses to observe objects and actions and look for outlines in the

observations, classifying to form new concepts by searching for similarities and differences are

the skills developed during a particular situation. Moreover, communicating is sharing ideas and

what they can do orally and in writing. By measuring, a person can quantify descriptions of

objects and events. Additionally, skills such as inferring results from a piece of new information

and predicting a personal guess before they observe a phenomenon (Rezba et al., 2021). These

basic science process skills form the core of inquiry-based learning.

The ability to think scientifically can shift the learning paradigm from teacher-centered to

student-centered learning, from content-focused to process-focused learning, from textual to

contextual and scientific approaches, and from knowledge transfer to problem-solving (Suciati et

al., 2018). This shifting of learning is the initial stage for developing students' Science Process

Skills (SPS) that will improved through learning that stresses the optimal process. SPS refers to

the fundamental abilities of thinking and conducting research (Çakir & Sarikaya, 2010). Sahyar

& Nst (2017) describe science process skills as similar to thinking skills in that they can be used

to gather data.
 Gillies & Nichols (2015) added that SPS could help students develop scientific thinking

abilities and better comprehend the content. According to Elmas et al. (2018), basic and

integrated skills compose SPS. Basic process skills serve as a foundation for learning more

integrated skills. Observing, guessing, measuring, communicating, classifying, and predicting are

all basic process abilities. Abungu et al. (2014) further explained that SPS is used to help

students build a more excellent long-term memory knowledge of the content to address all types

of daily life problems, especially in the face of global difficulties. Nikam (2014) in his study

describes how questioning strategies will be used to enhance science process skills among school

students, which will help to stimulate science education. The study determined that an effective

questioning strategy can promote thinking among students and force them to do experiments to

get the answers.

In studying Science, students are encouraged to balance science concepts and process

skills through active acts such as making observations, identifying issues, and forecasting what

students can develop through exercises.

Academic Adjustment

Academic adjustment is the process through which students improve their coping

mechanisms and study techniques to achieve satisfactory academic outcomes (Cheung & Wong,

2014). It includes motivation, application, performance, and academic environment. Motivation

is the state of students being eager to work on their academic requirements while the application

puts what has been learned into practice. Furthermore, performance is the process of carrying out
and completing the learning task, and the academic environment is the period during which

students grow their academic training.

One of the constant problems of education is the academic adjustment. Researchers in the

field conduct studies to determine the importance of deciding elements, so students' chances of

adjusting to the school environment and, indirectly, academic learning improve. Academic

adjustment is a complex integrating concept that is difficult to explain (Clinciu & Cazan, 2013).

The adverse effects of academic non-adjustment on students are associated with anxiety,

depression, stress, vulnerability, anger, moodiness, and mental illness (Clinciu, 2012).

In contrast, students adjust well academically if they are motivated, believe in their

talents, put them into practice, are content with their selected schools, and have a high degree of

commitment to their academic goals (Rienties et al., 2011). School familiarity can also be a

moderating factor between adjustment and academic performance.

Academic Performance

Student achievement will be measured by academic performance. Educators frequently

use standardized test scores, graduation rates, and classroom performance to evaluate student

achievement (Briones et al., 2021). According to Rienties et al. (2011) student academic success

will be defined as the result of their studying process and their academic work throughout their

schooling. It is also determined not only by their scholastic ability or mental talent but also by

their motivation to achieve their academic goals, his belief in his ability to meet educational
demands, his efforts to achieve his academic goals and his satisfaction with the academic

environment.

Learning goal orientation, self-efficacy, and meaningful learning all positively affect

students' achievement (Hacieminoglu, 2015), and this will be connected to the basic process

skills acquired.

Theoretical Framework

For the fundamental theoretical basis of the study, the researcher will incorporate the

following ideas as support to the study:

The K–12 curriculum's spiral progression follows Piaget's Theory of Cognitive

Development. From lower grade levels to higher grade levels, the level of complexity of science

concepts and science process abilities grows. Students must demonstrate their understanding of

fundamental scientific concepts and procedures in each period. The K–12 curriculum includes

scientific literacy as one of its goals. It means that by developing their process skills, logical

thinking skills, and critical thinking skills, teachers must help students become independent

learners.

On the other hand, according to Walberg's theory of academic achievement, the

psychological traits of particular students and the psychological settings in which they are

located have an impact on learning outcomes (cognitive, behavioral, and attitudinal).

Additionally, the effects of the environment and social context on boosting or diminishing
intrinsic motivation are explained by cognitive evaluation theory. The internalization process of

completing an action is the topic of organismic integration theory, which examines how humans

can progress along the motivation spectrum, becoming more self-determined in their behavior as

they begin to internalize ownership of the activity. The Causality Orientations Theory addresses

individual variations in the inclination toward more self-determined action.