Reasons why students find science hard to learn and understand

Many Kenyan students struggle with science subjects like Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, often feeling overwhelmed by complex concepts and formulas. This comprehensive guide explores the primary reasons behind these learning challenges and provides actionable strategies to help KCSE and other students develop a better understanding of scientific principles.

Science should be fun to learn and teach, it is a thought process; one makes observations and weighs evidence to judge how or why something occurs. But this is not the process that many science classes use.

Students often see science related subjects as being too hard due to the intimidating material, but it may be as a result of poor teaching and even our own false perceptions.

Oftenly the perception of students about science subjects might cause them to convince themselves that the courses are harder than they actually are.

Many can argue that the reason for emphasizing memorization is that scientists need a strong basis in broad scientific knowledge to understand the field. Hence most science students adapt memorization method as the best to grasp the knowledge even though after a while they can hardly remember all the things memorized.

Some of the reasons that make science boring and difficult to highschool students is as below;

1.There is alot of information

We all can agree that there is alot to learn when it comes to science as we dig deeper into it, alot of information is discovered . Hence there is alot if information that even makes it hard to understand where to start due to the massive information involved.

2. The information is complicated

Not only is there alot of information involved in science but it is also complicated due to some of the names used in science, hence it makes it not easy to understand. It requires for one to be patient and learn bit by bit to be able to understand the information.

3. Attention span is short

Its not a surprise that students easily lose their attention after the first 15 to 20 minutes of the lesson,and because of this it is hard for them to understand the complex scientific knowledge.

4.Lack of engagement

It would be more interesting to students if they can get to experience and experiment on whatever science theory that they are given in their classrooms. This will help break boredom and also engage students more making science more interesting and easy to understand.

5. Myths that science is hard

For ages many students have had the mentality that science is hard, they have passed the myth to others hence sciences are perceived as hard even way before one starts studying it. Hence it has lead to the poor performance in schools.

6. Poor teaching methods

This has also largely contributed to the poor performance of science subjects and also dislike for the subjects.
To improve the teaching methods and make the science class more interesting and less boring teachers can try using the following methods:

• Use active learning techniques by engaging the students.
• Use a differentiated Instruction approach, this is by teaching individual students using different styles and interests according to the students abilities.
• Prioritize understanding over memorization.