Enhancing Scientific Literacy among Grade 4 Learners in Kakuma Refugee Camp through an Improvised Mobile Science Kit

The study focuses on the enhancement of scientific literacy skills while using an improvised mobile science kit in Grade 4 in Kakuma Refugee Camp. Three instruments were used in data collection: a classroom observation schedule, a pre-test and post-test achievement test, and an interview schedule. Solomon’s four quasi-experimental research designs were utilised. Four schools were purposefully sampled, two as experimental and two others as the control. A sample of 1067 learners, eight science teachers, and four head-teachers were involved. The study considered the efficiency of the improvised science kit in improving learner competencies and science literacy. Findings reveal that learners taught using the improvised science kit demonstrated higher levels of scientific literacy than those taught without the use of the improvised science kit. They had improved scores in the post-test, increased teacher competency, and learner participation from classroom observation. The mean score increased from pre-test (M = 13.78, SD = 4.67) to post-test (M = 15.28, SD = 4.62), indicating an improvement in learners’ performance after the intervention. Further analysis using the paired- samples t-test revealed that this difference was statistically significant, t (115) =−5.864, p<0.05. The mean difference was -1.509, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from -2.018 to -0.999. Since p < 0.05, challenges encountered include resource utilisation, resource sustainability, large class sizes, teachers lacking improvisation skills, and teacher reluctance in the adoption of the innovation. It was recommended that the improvised science kit be adopted and used in the teaching of science to enhance the implementation of the ongoing CBC in Kenya.