Evaluation of Gender and School Location Differences in Students' Psychomotor Skills in Physics as Measured by Psychomotor Skills Assessment in Physics

Abstract

This study investigated gender and school location differences in students' psychomotor skills in Physics as measured by the Psychomotor Skills Assessment in Physics (PSAP). The objective of this study is to examine gender and school location differences in students' psychomotor skills in Physics as measured by the Psychomotor Skills Assessment in Physics (PSAP). The study adopted instrumental research design. The study was part of a larger instrumentation study conducted in South-East Nigeria. A sample of 384 Senior Secondary School III Physics students was selected through multistage sampling from 12 secondary schools. Data were generated using PSAP, a 50-item observational rating scale with five subscales: Basic Fundamental Movement, Perceptual Ability, Physical Ability, Skilled Movement, and Non-Discursive Communication. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while independent-samples t-test was used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The results showed that male students obtained a higher overall mean score (M = 214.66, SD = 6.55) than female students (M = 211.71, SD = 5.60), and the difference was statistically significant, t(382) = 4.68, p < .001. Urban students also recorded a higher overall mean score (M = 215.15, SD = 6.46) than rural students (M = 211.96, SD = 5.77), and the difference was statistically significant, t(382) = 5.08, p < .001. Descriptively, the largest differences appeared in the Skilled Movement subscale, in favour of male and urban students. The study concludes that gender and school location are associated with differences in students' psychomotor performance in Physics. It recommends more equitable access to laboratory practice, targeted support for underperforming groups, and stronger practical engagement in rural schools.