Developing scientific oral presentation competence focusing on question-and-answer sessions of high ability science students

The study aimed to develop a scientific oral presentation instruction focusing on question-and-answer sessions (SPIQA) for science high school students. The objectives of the study were as follows: (1) to investigate the effects of the scientific presentation instruction focusing on question-and-answer sessions in enhancing science high school students’ scientific oral presentation competence, and (2) to explore students’ opinions towards the SPIQA. The study employed mixed-methods research, comprising two phases: (1) instruction and course development/course implementation, and (2) course evaluation. This research employed the one-group pre-test-post-test experimental design, which compared the same group of subjects’ oral presentation competence and competence in question-and-answer sessions before and after the intervention. The subjects were 35 science high school students who enrolled in the Effective Presentation course. The research instruments included pre- and post-tests for scientific oral presentation competence and competence in question-and-answer sessions assessment, teacher’s notes, teacher’s journals, opinion questionnaires, and semi-structured in-depth interviews. After the course had been implemented for 16 weeks, the data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics of frequency, mean, standard deviation, and the paired-samples t-test was used to compare the mean scores of the subjects’ pre-test and post-test. Also, Cohen’s d was utilized in order to measure the effects of the SPIQA. Qualitative data were analyzed by means of content analysis. The quantitative results of students’ oral presentation competence in the scientific oral presentation pre- and post-tests revealed a statistical difference at p < .001 level, with a large effect size from expert 1 (d = 1.75) and expert 2 (d = 1.90), indicating a large practical significance. In addition, the findings of students’ competence in question-and-answer sessions pre- and post-tests showed a statistical difference at p < .001 level, with a large effect size from expert 1 (d = 1.46) and expert 2 (d = 1.73), also indicating a large practical significance. Furthermore, the qualitative findings indicate the students’ positive opinions toward the SPIQA, and the findings show that SPIQA was effective in promoting not only the students’ oral presentation competence and competence in question-and-answer sessions but also their self-confidence, strategy use, learning motivation, collaborative learning, and their realization of the significance of question-and-answer session. Based on the study findings, it is recommended that the SPIQA developed in this study can be implemented to enhance students’ oral presentation competence and competence in question-and-answer sessions. In addition, teachers should take into consideration the following aspects when using the SPIQA, including 1) students’ strategy use, 2) teachers’ roles in facilitating the SPIQA, and 3) instructional materials for the instruction. Finally, the paper discusses important issues regarding teaching and learning, including recommendations for future research.